Possibly the BEST Surgery for your dog’s Knee
The most common knee injury in the
dog is rupture of the Cranial Cruciate
Ligament (CCL), also frequently called
the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL).
This injury can occur at any age and in
any breed, but most frequently occurs in
middle aged, overweight, medium to large
breed dogs. Rupture of this ligament leads
to instability of the knee which leads to the
development of painful arthritis.,/p>
An injured Cruciate Ligament can only
be corrected by surgery. There are several
surgical options available. The most common
techniques currently recommended
are External Capsular Repair, Tibial
Plateau Leveling Operation (TPLO), and
Tibial Tuberosity Advancement (TTA).
This last technique, the TTA, may be the
best repair currently available.
The forces within the knee are very
complicated and change as the knee is
rotated through its range of motion. In
a normal standing position there is a
tendency for the lower end of the Femur
to slide backwards on the tilted Tibial
Plateau. This force, called Tibial Thrust,
can be eliminated by cutting the Tibial
Plateau and rotating it into a flatter position
(TPLO), or by advancing the Tibial
Tuberosity (TTA) thereby changing the
angle of pull of the Patellar Tendon.
The TPLO procedure makes its bone
cut on the weight bearing surface of the
Tibia, necessitating the use of a large stainless
steel plate to maintain stability while
healing. The TTA procedure is considered
to be less invasive because its cut is on a
non-weight bearing area of the Tibia. That
cut is then stabilized by the use of the more
biologically friendly Titanium implants.
The TTA procedure may not be right for
every dog, but it does seem to make the
leg more stabile, particularly with respect
to rotation of the joint, known as Pivot
Shift. More information can be found at
www.ttasurgery.com.
If you notice that your dog is limping, a
trip to your veterinarian and a full workup
on the leg is warranted. It has been shown
that even a partial tear of the Cruciate Ligament
can lead to instability and then to a
complete rupture. The choice of surgical
procedures can then be discussed with your
veterinarian, once a diagnosis is made.
Compliments of
Dr. Neal B. Neuman
of Montgomery Village Animal Hospital
301-330-2200
