Received October 4, 2005 Vet Comp Orthop Traumatol 3/2006 Accepted December 24, 2005 Surgical repair of a tibial fracture in a Belgian Landrace pig G. Vertenten, A. Martens, J. Declercq, S. Schauvliege, L. Weiland, F. Gasthuys Department of Surgery and anaesthesiology of Domestic Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Merelbeke, Belgium Summary This paper reports the surgical treatment of a tibial fracture in a castrated adult male Belgian Landrace pig of 180 kg. The fracture was repaired using an intrame- dullary Steinmann pin, combined with cerclage wire and external transfixation. In contrast to other animal species, the fracture repair in the pig was hindered by the short and curved bones, the thick subcutaneous fat layer and the pronounced musculature. Postoperatively, the pig developed an osteomyelitis of the tibia due to pin tract contamination. Despite this complication, the fracture healed acceptably when all fixation material was removed two months after surgery. The infection resolved quickly and a satisfactory clinical result was obtained. Keywords Tibia, fracture, surgical treatment, osteomyelitis, pig Vet Comp Orthop Traumatol 2006; 19: 180–3 Introduction Swine reared for meat production with frac- tured long bones are destroyed or euthana- tised because economic considerations pre- clude treatment. Moreover, pigs are legally deprived of a general anaesthesia according to Belgian law by the lack of anaesthetics with a Maximum Residue Level (M.R.L.) for pigs. Swine that will never enter the food chain, such as those with a high genetic or sentimental value, can be an exception. Fracture repair in pigs has rarely been de- scribed in literature. In 1966, Vaughan (1) reported the treatment of fractures in 12 pigs: eight of them recovered completely and could be used for breeding purposes. The aim of the present report of a tibial frac- ture in a Belgian Landrace pig is to describe one of the possibilities of fracture repair in swine. Case history A 180 kg castrated male pig was found with a fracture of the left tibia. The fractured leg was cast to mid-tibia by the local veterin- arian and the pig was sent to the veterinary clinic at the University after sedation with 2 mg/kg azaperone a intramuscularly. The clinical examination revealed an ab- normal mobility of the left hind leg proxi- mal to the cast. After cast removal, radio- graphs (planterodorsal and lateromedial views) were taken to confirm the prelimi- nary diagnosis of a closed tibial fracture. A short oblique fracture was observed be- tween the proximal and middle third of the tibia and fibula, with moderate fragmen- tation. The distal part of the tibia was dis- placed about 1 cm caudally (Fig. 1). Surgical procedure Sedation was still adequate to allow the in- duction of the anaesthesia. After induction with 10 mg/kg, sodiumthiopental b using a catheter placed in an auricular vein and en- dotracheal intubation the anaesthesia was maintained with isoflurane c in oxygen. Ad- ditionally, a bolus of 1 mg/kg lidocaine fol- lowed by a continuous infusion (1.5 mg/ kg/h lidocaine) was given. The animal was restrained in dorsal re- cumbency and the affected leg was ex- tended, as much as possible, by means of a hoist to fatigue the musculature in order to obtain a reduction of the fracture fragments. The leg was surgically prepared. A 10 cm skin incision was made on the medial aspect of the tibia to expose the fracture site. The hoist was dropped sufficiently to permit flexion of the stifle and tarsus. With the stifle and tarsus in a 90° flexion, a retro- grade placement of a 6 mm intramedullary Steinmann pin was performed. The length of the required pin was determined by using preoperative radiographs. A standard bat- tery powered drill was used to drive the pin from the fracture site into the proximal frag- ment, exiting through an incision ca. 7 cm proximal to the tibial tuberosity.The pin was reintroduced with the sharp end pointing distally and the fracture was reduced and re- tention was obtained with a cerclage wire. Finally, the Steinmann pin was advanced in the distal fracture fragment using a hammer. The skin incisions were closed using simple interrupted sutures wit Polyglactin 910 d . External fixation was used to provide ad- ditional stability to the fracture. The leg was extended again and two 6 mm Steinmann pins were placed under fluoroscopic guid- a Stresnil  , Janssen, Belgium. b Pentothal  , Abbott, Belgium. c IsoFlo  , Abbott, UK. d Vicryl  , USP1, Ethicon, Belgium. 180 Case Report © 2006 Schattauer GmbH