Long-term outcome after total scapulectomy for the treatment of osteosarcoma in a cat

A 10-year-old neutered female domestic shorthair cat was presented for acute lameness of the right forelimb after a pathological fracture caused by scapular osteosarcoma. Total scapulectomy was performed, including the glenoid, and the humerus was sutured to the second rib via a bone tunnel in the humeral head. Two months postoperatively, the cat showed mild lameness without any other impairment or signs of pain. The owner reported that the cat was back to normal activity, including climbing and running. Follow-up checks 6 and 18 months after surgery were unremarkable. At the final follow-up, 33 months postoperatively, the cat showed mild lameness, but the orthopaedic examination was still non-painful. Walking fluoroscopy revealed a failure of the fixation of the humeral head, which was now travelling along ribs 1-4 with each step. The owner still rated the cat's quality of life and leg function as excellent.

Suture fixation of the humerus to the second rib via a bone tunnel in the humeral head after performing total scapulectomy, and the long-term outcome of the procedure, has so far not been described in cats. While the technique initially led to full return of limb function, the fixation was found to have failed at 33 months after surgery, resulting in a gait alteration that did not impair activity or quality of life.