Use of a stainless steel cable and headless tapered compression screw for repair of a tibial crest fracture in a 10-year-old horse

Summary

Tibial tuberosity and/or crest fractures uncommonly occur in horses and are generally acquired injuries associated with direct trauma to the stifle region. Non-articular, minimally to moderately displaced tibial tuberosity fractures can be conservatively managed with strict stall rest for several months. Large, unstable, articular, and/or displaced fractures require open reduction and internal fixation. Traditional methods of fracture repair have utilized compression plates and bone screws or stainless steel wire in tension-band configurations. However, simple tibial tuberosity or crest fractures can be surgically repaired via a minimally invasive approach with use of stainless steel cable in a tension-band configuration and headless compression screw, and result in a successful outcome.

Keywords

Equine - fracture - tibial crest - cable - Acutrak screw

• References

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