Acrylic external skeletal fixation for the treatment of long bone fracture in dogs

The efficacy of replacing stainless steel connecting bar in External Skeletal Fixator (ESF) with acrylic connecting bar was evaluated by using acrylic connecting bar in 12 clinical cases of complete fracture of long bones in dogs. Type IA or type II acrylic fixators were applied to the fracture fragments by closed or open approach under general anaesthesia. Early return of functional limb usage following fixation with acrylic ESF was achieved. Loosening of the proximal most pin occurred by fourth week of observation in four cases, where type I acrylic fixator was used, but none of them affected the fracture healing markedly. Breakage of acrylic bar occurred in one case with loss of fracture reduction and damage to the acrylic bar occurred in two cases due to mutilation. Mild to moderate degrees of mal-alignment between fragments that occurred following application of acrylic fixator in four cases got nullified with progressive callus formation and resulted in restoration of normal straight line alignment of the bone. Marked angulation of the bone fragments occurred in two cases but did not affect limb usage. The fracture gap in all the cases was found to be progressively getting filled up with callus. In 50% cases, the fracture healed with endosteal callus only, while it healed with endosteal and periosteal callus in rest of the animals. Periosteal reaction of varying degree occurred in most of the cases but did not affect fracture healing or functional limb usage. Osteolysis was noticed around proximal pin tract in four animals. Acrylic external fixator proved to be an economical, technically feasible, clinically successful and reliable alternative for stainless steel external fixators for the immobilization of fractures of radius-ulna and tibia-fibula in animals of less than 15 kg body wt. In heavier animals, usage of acrylic bar on one side of the type II fixator gave adequate stability in case of radial fractures but not for tibial fractures.