Two surgical approaches to fracture malunion repair

Two birds were presented with malunion fractures. The first was a young toco toucan (Ramphastos toco) with malunion of the tarsometatarsus that was treated by an opening-wedge corrective osteotomy and an acrylic-pin external skeletal fixator (type II) to stabilize the osteotomy. The second bird was an adult southern caracara (Caracara plancus) with radial and ulnar malunion that was treated by closing-wedge osteotomies. Stabilization of the osteotomy sites was accomplished through a bone plate fixed cranially on the ulna with 6 cortical screws and an interfragmentary single wire in radius. In both cases, the malunion was corrected, but the manus of the southern caracara was amputated because of carpal joint luxation that induced malposition of the feathers.