Fracture repair with adjunctive FiberTape cerclage has been used successfully in human
patients, but no reports of this technique exist in the veterinary literature. The
purpose of this short case series is to describe the FiberTape placement technique
and detail four cases and their outcomes. FiberTape cerclage can be placed under or
over a plate and consists of a single or double wrap around the bone secured with
a tensioned racking hitch knot and then secured with square knots. All cases presented
for an oblique or spiral fracture of a pelvic limb long bone with varying degrees
of comminution. Open reduction and internal fixation were performed using plate-screw
constructs and at least one FiberTape cerclage in all cases. External coaptation was
used postoperatively in two cases. There were no intraoperative complications. Minor
postoperative complications occurred in 50% of dogs in the short-term period, and
no major complications occurred. There were no implant-associated infections. At short-term
follow-up, 75% of dogs had returned to acceptable or complete function. At mid- and
long-term follow-up, all dogs had regained complete function of the operated limb.
While it is unknown at this time if FiberTape provides superior outcomes compared
with wire, there are potential advantages based on the human literature. It appears
to be a safe alternative to metallic cerclage; however, additional biomechanical and
clinical research is necessary to further determine any potential benefits of FiberTape
cerclage.
Acknowledgment
None.
