Surgical Stabilisation as the Primary Treatment for Traumatic Luxation of the Elbow Joint in 10 Dogs

Ten dogs over a 6 year period had surgical stabilisation of traumatic elbow luxation (TEL) post closed reduction. Rechecking instability 48 hours after closed reduction may detect undiagnosed instability. Fifty percent of dogs had local tissue complications in association with the screws and wire used to stabilise the joint. Long term outcome was assessed using clinical notes and owner questionnaire. Long term outcome analysis found that eighty per cent of the dogs had clinical symptoms of stiffness or lameness. Surgical stabilisation of TEL could produce marginally better outcomes compared to closed reduction only based on the current literature.