A femoral head ostectomy is a veterinary surgical operation that removes the head and neck of the femur, the ball of the hip joint, as a salvage procedure for severe hip pain that has not responded to other treatment. It is performed in dogs, cats, small horses, donkeys, ponies and pigs to treat conditions including hip dysplasia, traumatic fracture or severing of the femoral head, Legg-Calve-Perthes disease and other hip bone diseases, severe arthritis, joint infection, and pelvic fractures involving the acetabulum. Rather than replacing the joint, the surgery removes the diseased bone entirely and relies on scar tissue to form a false joint so the animal can bear weight again, though careful weight management afterward improves the outcome.
Facts
FAQs
How can an animal walk after the ball of its hip joint is removed?
Scar tissue forms a cushioning false joint that takes the place of the removed ball of the hip.
After the head and neck of the femur are removed, only an empty socket is left. At first the muscles of the leg hold the femur in place. Over time, scar tissue forms between the socket and the femur and creates cushioning between the bones, which veterinary sources call a false joint. That joint is anatomically very different from a normal hip, but it can still give pain-free mobility.
Connections
Treats
Source Femoral head ostectomy (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia Foundation
2. Femoral head ostectomy (Wikipedia)
Article text
The operation was first described by Gathorne Robert Girdlestone (1881-1950) in 1945.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Femoral_head_ostectomy, lead section
A femoral head ostectomy is a surgical operation to remove the head and neck from the femur.
Treats: Pain, Lead: treats Pain
It is performed to alleviate pain, and is a salvage procedure, reserved for conditions where pain can not be alleviated in any other way.
In Group: Animal Surgery, Introduction
A femoral head ostectomy is a surgical operation to remove the head and neck from the femur.
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