The Use of an L-shaped Omental Pedicle Flap to Facilitate Healing in a Cat with a Dehiscent Surgical Wound after a Tibial Fracture Repair

In the past decades, the use of the greater omentum in surgery has become widely popular in veterinary surgery. A three-year-old European short-haired female cat, with an open fracture of the right tibia, was referred to the Department of Surgery and Intensive Care after suffering from a traffic trauma After clinical and paraclinical examination, the cat underwent a surgical procedure to manage the tibial fracture. Two weeks after the osteosynthesis of the tibial fracture, dehiscence was observed at the level of the suture. Due to the lack of tissue in this area, and clinical signs of local bacterial infection, to avoid amputation, a second surgical intervention consisting of an omentum pedicle flap was performed. With the cat in dorsal recumbency, under general anaesthesia, a small abdominal incision was performed and the omentum was exteriorized. The omentum was enlarged up to 4 times using specific incision lines and a tunnel was created subcutaneously up to the tibial defect. Once sutured in place the omentum was protected using an inguinal skin flap and with colloid bandage that was changed every second day for two weeks. At 14 days, the omentum was resected from the abdominal orifice previously created. 3 months after the first surgery, the cat had fully recovered.