Application of Minimally Invasive Plate Osteosynthesis to Tibial Shaft Fractures in Dogs

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis (MIPO) method for treatment of tibial shaft fractures in dogs by comparing MIPO radiographic and fracture healing time results with those from the popular open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) technique. In this clinical study at the Royal Animal Medical Center, five consecutive dogs with diagnoses of comminuted tibial shaft fractures were treated with the MIPO surgical approach. For comparison, an additional five breed-, age-, and weight-matched dogs with comminuted tibial shaft fractures were treated with the ORIF technique. Mean healing time was $75.6{\pm}12.5$ days in the MIPO group and $131.8{\pm}18.6$ days in the ORIF group (p < 0.01). The mean surgery time in the MIPO group ($36.4{\pm}3.5$ minutes) was significantly shorter (p < 0.01) than that for the ORIF group ($47.0{\pm}2.2$ minutes). Based on the short surgical and healing times, the MIPO approach is clinically superior to the ORIF approach and should be the preferred approach in tibial fracture cases.