Hip Dysplasia Surgical Option 2. Femoral Head and Neck Osteotomy (FHO)

Question 1

What is FHO

Answer 1

It involves removing the head and neck of the femur and allowing a fibrous joint to form acting as a false joint.

Question 2

Patient Prep

Answer 2

The clipped area should extend from the dorsal midline to the stifle including the circumference of the limb

Question 3

Patient Positioning

Answer 3

The patient is placed in lateral recumbency with the affected limb uppermost.

Question 4

Instruments / Materials

Answer 4

Four quarter drapes, osteotome, mallet (or oscillating saw), listen bone cutters, muscle and joint retractors are required as well as a general surgical kit.

Question 5

Surgical Procedure of JHO

Answer 5

The head and neck of the femur is excised which limits bony contact between the femoral head and acetabulum allowing a fibrous joint to form, decreasing patient pain. There is no specific weight guidelines for this procedure, but smaller patients often have better results. The procedure must be done one hip joint at a time.

Question 6

Post op care

Answer 6

Exercise post operatively is recommended to produce scar tissue.
Dogs with muscle atrophy or larger breeds may have longer recovery times.