NOTE Surgery Treatment of a unicameral bone cyst in a dog using a customized titanium device

ABSTRACT. A 4-year-old Shih-Tzu, referred for an enlarged left carpus, was diagnosed with a unicameral bone cyst. A customized titanium device was inserted into cystic lesion and fixed by titanium screws. Sufficient strength of the affected bone with the device inserted to maintain limb function was established after resection of contents of cystic lesion. There was no deterioration of the lesion of bone cyst, and acceptable function of the affected limb with no clinical signs of lameness was maintained during 36 months follow-up. The results of this study demonstrated that bone cyst curettage and use of a customized titanium device could provide an effective alternative treatment of huge lesion of unicameral bone cysts with the intent of preventing pathologic fractures. KEY WORDS: bone cyst, canine, customized titanium device doi: 10.1292/jvms.13-0548; J. Vet. Med. Sci. 77(1): 127–131, 2015 A bone cyst is an expansive lesion within the bone mar-row cavity that gradually weakens the bone to the point of causing it to fracture [33]. Bone cysts are classified as either unicameral (simple) or aneurysmal. Unicameral bone cysts (UBCs) are benign fluid-filled lesions found in the metaphy-seal or diaphyseal regions of long bones and are lined by a thin membrane [5]. In humans, they typically occur i