Management of insufficiency fractures associated with long-term bisphosphonate therapy in a cat

Case summary A 10-year-old spayed female domestic medium hair cat presented after sustaining atraumatic insufficiency fractures of the right calcaneus and the left tibia approximately 6 weeks apart. Chronic alendronate therapy had been ongoing for 9 years for the management of previously diagnosed i...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Lauren M Meneghetti, Karen L Perry
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2023-08-01
Series:Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery Open Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/20551169231183752
_version_ 1797744010270343168
author Lauren M Meneghetti
Karen L Perry
author_facet Lauren M Meneghetti
Karen L Perry
author_sort Lauren M Meneghetti
collection DOAJ
description Case summary A 10-year-old spayed female domestic medium hair cat presented after sustaining atraumatic insufficiency fractures of the right calcaneus and the left tibia approximately 6 weeks apart. Chronic alendronate therapy had been ongoing for 9 years for the management of previously diagnosed idiopathic hypercalcemia. The right calcaneal fracture was managed non-operatively due to minimal functional impairment. The left tibial fracture was managed via open reduction and internal fixation with orthogonal plating. Alendronate therapy was discontinued at the time of the fracture repair with prednisolone being used to manage the hypercalcemia. Despite rapid clinical improvement, the tibial fracture had a protracted healing course, with clinical union only being achieved 22 weeks postoperatively. At 17 months postoperatively, the idiopathic hypercalcemia remained well controlled. Gait assessment, orthopedic examination and orthogonal radiographs performed at this time revealed resolution of left pelvic limb lameness, a normal orthopedic examination of the left pelvic limb and no evidence of implant-associated complications. Monitoring is ongoing but at the time of publication, no further fractures have occurred. Relevance and novel information As reported in humans, this case report gathers evidence of associations between bisphosphonate treatment and the occurrence of insufficiency fractures in cats, and provides evidence that stress reactions may precede their development. If bisphosphonate therapy is utilized in the long term, serial radiographic monitoring for signs of impending fracture may be warranted. Fracture repair can be successful in cats that have received long-term bisphosphonate therapy, but delayed healing should be anticipated and implant choices made accordingly.
first_indexed 2024-03-12T15:03:34Z
format Article
id doaj.art-94187305ac8044b2be8a531c5096e29e
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2055-1169
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-12T15:03:34Z
publishDate 2023-08-01
publisher SAGE Publishing
record_format Article
series Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery Open Reports
spelling doaj.art-94187305ac8044b2be8a531c5096e29e2023-08-13T05:33:31ZengSAGE PublishingJournal of Feline Medicine and Surgery Open Reports2055-11692023-08-01910.1177/20551169231183752Management of insufficiency fractures associated with long-term bisphosphonate therapy in a catLauren M MeneghettiKaren L PerryCase summary A 10-year-old spayed female domestic medium hair cat presented after sustaining atraumatic insufficiency fractures of the right calcaneus and the left tibia approximately 6 weeks apart. Chronic alendronate therapy had been ongoing for 9 years for the management of previously diagnosed idiopathic hypercalcemia. The right calcaneal fracture was managed non-operatively due to minimal functional impairment. The left tibial fracture was managed via open reduction and internal fixation with orthogonal plating. Alendronate therapy was discontinued at the time of the fracture repair with prednisolone being used to manage the hypercalcemia. Despite rapid clinical improvement, the tibial fracture had a protracted healing course, with clinical union only being achieved 22 weeks postoperatively. At 17 months postoperatively, the idiopathic hypercalcemia remained well controlled. Gait assessment, orthopedic examination and orthogonal radiographs performed at this time revealed resolution of left pelvic limb lameness, a normal orthopedic examination of the left pelvic limb and no evidence of implant-associated complications. Monitoring is ongoing but at the time of publication, no further fractures have occurred. Relevance and novel information As reported in humans, this case report gathers evidence of associations between bisphosphonate treatment and the occurrence of insufficiency fractures in cats, and provides evidence that stress reactions may precede their development. If bisphosphonate therapy is utilized in the long term, serial radiographic monitoring for signs of impending fracture may be warranted. Fracture repair can be successful in cats that have received long-term bisphosphonate therapy, but delayed healing should be anticipated and implant choices made accordingly.https://doi.org/10.1177/20551169231183752
spellingShingle Lauren M Meneghetti
Karen L Perry
Management of insufficiency fractures associated with long-term bisphosphonate therapy in a cat
Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery Open Reports
title Management of insufficiency fractures associated with long-term bisphosphonate therapy in a cat
title_full Management of insufficiency fractures associated with long-term bisphosphonate therapy in a cat
title_fullStr Management of insufficiency fractures associated with long-term bisphosphonate therapy in a cat
title_full_unstemmed Management of insufficiency fractures associated with long-term bisphosphonate therapy in a cat
title_short Management of insufficiency fractures associated with long-term bisphosphonate therapy in a cat
title_sort management of insufficiency fractures associated with long term bisphosphonate therapy in a cat
url https://doi.org/10.1177/20551169231183752
work_keys_str_mv AT laurenmmeneghetti managementofinsufficiencyfracturesassociatedwithlongtermbisphosphonatetherapyinacat
AT karenlperry managementofinsufficiencyfracturesassociatedwithlongtermbisphosphonatetherapyinacat