Guidelines for surgical approaches for minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis in cats

Minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis (MIPO) is one of the most recent fixation techniques that embody the concept of biological osteosynthesis. Several studies evaluating MIPO in dogs have been published in the recent years. However, there are few clinical reports of MIPO in cats and no description of the surgical approaches. The purpose of our study was to describe the safe corridors for plate insertion in cats using the MIPO technique.

The surgical approaches for the humerus, radius-ulna, femur and tibia were developed after reviewing the described techniques and surgical approaches for MIPO in dogs, while considering any relevant anatomical difference between dogs and cats. Following the MIPO approaches, the limbs were anatomically dissected and the relationship between proximal and distal positions of the implants and neurovascular structures was noted.

The surgical approaches developed for the humerus and radius-ulna differed from what had been reported previously, because relevant anatomical differences were found between dogs and cats. Anatomical landmarks for safe plate application were described for all the major long bones in cats. No damage to vital structures following plate insertion was detected in the dissection.

In this cadaveric study, we evaluated the safety of the surgical approaches for MIPO in cats. By respecting the anatomical landmarks described in this report, damage to the neurovascular structures can be avoided performing the MIPO technique in cats.