We describe the successful treatment of a tarsometatarsal fracture in a mature bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) using a locking compression plate as an external fixator. The anatomy of the area (inelastic dermis and minimal subcutaneous space) and the high forces placed on a fracture at that site necessitated a unique approach to fixation. The unconventional use of a locking compression plate as an external fixator was minimally invasive, well tolerated by the eagle, and provided adequate stability in opposing fracture forces. This technique may serve as a method of fixation for tarsometatarsal fractures in other large avian species.
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1 June 2011
Use of a Locking Compression Plate as an External Fixator for Repair of a Tarsometatarsal Fracture in a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
Ronald D. Montgomery,
Elizabeth Crandall,
Jamie R. Bellah
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Avian
Bald Eagle
external fixator
fracture
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
locking compression plate