Surgical Treatment of Dorsal Scapular Luxation in Cats: Six Cases (2010-2016)

Abstract

Dorsal luxation, avulsion or dislocation of the scapula is described as the dorsal displacement of the scapula, resulting from the rupture of the ventral serratus, rhomboideus and trapezius muscles. In this report, we aimed to suggest a different way for the surgical treatment of dorsal scapular luxation in cats. The study material comprised of 6 cats presented to our clinics. Intra-operatively, in all the patients it was determined that the ventral serratus and rhomboideus muscles were ruptured, however, the trapezius muscle was undamaged. In surgical intervention, cauterization of contact surfaces of two muscle to improve adhesion and suturing of serratus and rhombeideus muscles to infraspinatus and supraspinatus muscles was carried out respectively. In the clinical follow-up examination on post-operative day 15, dorsal luxation of the affected extremity during weight-bearing had completely disappeared in all of the patients. On the telephone consultation 2 months after operation, owners declared no complaints of lameness or recurrence of symptoms. In conclusion, the treatment model suggested in this study is quite simple and minimally invasive which could be applied in the treatment of the dorsal scapular luxation in cats.