Comparative assessment of minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis and open plating for repair of long bone fracture in dogs

The study was aimed to compare the techniques of open plating and minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis (MIPO) for repair of long bone fracture in 12 clinical cases of dogs with radius-ulna (n=4) or tibia-fibula (n=8) fracture. The the animals were equally divided into two groups (group I- open plating and group II- MIPO); with both groups including equal number of transverse (n=3), oblique (n=2) and comminuted (n=1) fracture cases. Pre- and post- operative assessment of the animals was done on the basis of clinical and haemato-biochemical and radiographic evaluation. Standard medications, anaesthetic protocols and surgical procedures were followed in both groups. The haematological parameters were found within the normal range before and after the surgery. No significant differences were observed in serum calcium, phosphorus, creatinine kinase and alkaline phosphatase levels between the groups. Radiographic evaluation, lameness grading and functional outcome revealed that both the surgical procedures provided adequate reduction and alignment of fracture ends. MIPO technique provided earlier weight bearing but was technically more difficult as compared to open plating.