Stabilization of thoracolumbar vertebral fractures and luxations with polyaxial screw/rod system in cats

Vertebral fractures and luxations occur frequently in cats due to certain reasons. These fractures and luxations especially affect the thorokaolumbar region, resulting in neurological deficits, which negatively affect their lives, and even euthanasia may be decided due to the difficulty of care conditions. Treatment options for vertebral fractures and luxations in cats are limited. Tension band stabilisation, polymethylmethacrylate and pin or polymethylmethacrylate and screw stabilisation are commonly used. In cats, vertebrae have small bony structures and prosessus spinosus, which are disadvantages of tension band stabilisation, while compression of soft tissue and nerve roots and high risk of infection are disadvantages of polymethylmethacrylate stabilisation. Stabilisation of vertebrae with polyaxial screws has been widely used in humans for more than 30 years. It is also used in dogs in cases such as spinal fixation and degenerative lumbosacral stenosis. In the literature searches, there is no evidence of its use in cats. In this thesis study, it is aimed to stabilise the vertebral fractures and luxations in the thoracolumbar region of cats with the polyaxial screw/rod system, to reveal the clinical and neurological data and to evaluate them with radiography and computed tomography.