Bilateral surgery of humeral intracondylar fissures and humeral condylar fractures is associated with increased complication rates.

Single-stage bilateral humeral surgery increases complications; consider staged intervention instead.

This retrospective study evaluated postoperative complications and functional outcomes in 75 skeletally mature dogs undergoing surgical treatment for humeral intracondylar fissures (HIF) and/or humeral condylar fractures (HCF). Dogs were categorized as unilateral or bilateral simultaneous procedures. The overall complication rate was 36.0%, with bilateral procedures demonstrating significantly higher complication rates: 1.57-fold increase for bilateral HIF versus unilateral HIF, and 2.22-fold increase for bilateral HIF/HCF versus unilateral HCF. When excluding minor complications, bilateral procedures showed double the complication rate of unilateral procedures. Surgical site infections were substantially more prevalent in bilateral groups (1.68-fold and 4.45-fold increases respectively). Major surgical complications predominated in bilateral groups, while major medical complications were more common in unilateral groups. Functional recovery consistently favored unilateral procedures. Notably, no postoperative complications developed in prophylactically treated limbs across all bilateral groups. The authors recommend considering staged surgery rather than single-stage bilateral intervention, delaying treatment of asymptomatic contralateral limbs until clinical signs emerge.

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