Healing of dorsal pancarpal arthrodesis in the dog

The purpose of this study was to assess radiographically the healing process in dogs which had undergone dorsal pancarpal arthrodesis with autologous cancellous bone grafting. The medical records of 17 dogs that had undergone dorsal pancarpal arthrodesis with complication-free dynamic compression plate fixation were reviewed. Postoperative healing was evaluated radiographically. It started five weeks after surgery and progressed for six to 12 weeks in all dogs. After this time period no further progression of healing was observed. Between weeks 6 and 8, bony fusion progressed significantly more rapidly in the intercarpal joint than in the radiocarpal joint. The following criteria had no influence on healing time: gender, age, bodyweight, and immediate versus delayed surgery after trauma. The major difficulties noted with respect to the interpretation of postoperative radiographs were irregular bony bridging, mainly caused by inadequate palmar curettage, and oblique projection of articular surfaces resulting in superimposition of joint spaces and solid bone.