Clinical and radiographic evaluation of minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis (MIPO) in dogs with tibial fractures.

The aim of this study was a clinical and radiographic evaluation of the minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis (MIPO) method for treatment in dogs with tibial fractures. Ten dogs of different breeds, ages, and sex with tibial fractures were used as the subjects. A medial approach to the tibia was used in all the cases. The tibial tuberosity was palpated proximally and a short incision was made along the midline. After reduction of the fracture, proximal and distal insertion incisions were made to approach the tibia. The mean times for the MIPO operations were 21 minutes. The patients were able to stand and walk postoperatively on the first day and recovery was rapid for all of the dogs. The fracture healing was completed on day 45 based on the radiographic evaluations of these cases. Dogs with tibia fractures treated by MIPO healed rapidly without any complications (90%). Correct fracture selection is important for the use of MIPO to be successful. Further studies with a larger group of dogs should be considered to compare the efficacy of MIPO and other fixation techniques and for the long-term evaluation of the repaired tibial fractures.