Treatment of tibial shaft fractures in sheep using interlocking nails, Schanz screws and type I external fixators

This paper presents the results of a study of the treatment of transverse tibial shaft fractures in six sheep with the use of interlocking nails and type I external fixators. During surgery, tibial osteotomy was performed to induce an experimental fracture which was stabilized using a type I external fixator. Osteosynthesis was monitored for nine weeks by performing clinical tests, observing the degree of lameness and subjecting the patients to weekly radiological examinations. After nine weeks, the animals were euthanized, and samples of bone callus were sampled for histopathological analyses. Weight bearing on the fractured limb began on day 2 to 4 after treatment. Limb function was fully restored around five weeks after surgery. Radiograms taken during the observation period revealed gradual hyperplasia and progressing mineralization of bone callus at different stages of healing. The histopathological picture of the bone callus was characteristic of the phase of bone turnover and remodeling.