Tibial plateau leveling osteotomy
Encyclopedia
TPLO, or tibial-plateau-leveling osteotomy, is a surgery
performed on dogs to stabilize the stifle joint
after ruptures of the cranial cruciate ligament (analogous to the anterior cruciate ligament
[ACL] in humans, and sometimes colloquially called the same). Normally, the CrCL prevents backward–forward movement of the joint. When it tears, the joint becomes unstable and the dog suffers lack of mobility (lameness) acutely and is subject to chronic progressive arthritis in the stifle if untreated.
In a TPLO procedure, the tibial plateau, the portion of the tibia
adjoining the stifle, is cut and rotated so that its slope changes to approximately 5 degrees from the horizontal plane , . This prevents the femur
from sliding down the slope of the plateau when the dog puts weight on its knee. Thus surgery generally results in faster recovery times compared to other procedures to stabilize the knee. Most dogs (over 90%) are expected to regain a very active and athletic lifestyle with no post-operative complications and without the need for any long-term pain relieving medication.
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
performed on dogs to stabilize the stifle joint
Stifle joint
The stifle joint is a complex joint in the hind limbs of quadruped mammals such as the sheep, horse or dog. It is the equivalent joint to the human knee...
after ruptures of the cranial cruciate ligament (analogous to the anterior cruciate ligament
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
[ACL] in humans, and sometimes colloquially called the same). Normally, the CrCL prevents backward–forward movement of the joint. When it tears, the joint becomes unstable and the dog suffers lack of mobility (lameness) acutely and is subject to chronic progressive arthritis in the stifle if untreated.
In a TPLO procedure, the tibial plateau, the portion of the tibia
Tibia
The tibia , shinbone, or shankbone is the larger and stronger of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates , and connects the knee with the ankle bones....
adjoining the stifle, is cut and rotated so that its slope changes to approximately 5 degrees from the horizontal plane , . This prevents the femur
Femur
The femur , or thigh bone, is the most proximal bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs. In vertebrates with four legs such as dogs and horses, the femur is found only in...
from sliding down the slope of the plateau when the dog puts weight on its knee. Thus surgery generally results in faster recovery times compared to other procedures to stabilize the knee. Most dogs (over 90%) are expected to regain a very active and athletic lifestyle with no post-operative complications and without the need for any long-term pain relieving medication.
See also
- Tightrope CCLTightrope CCLTightrope CCL is a veterinary orthopedic surgical method developed to provide a minimally invasive procedure for extracapsular stabilization of the canine cranial cruciate ligament-deficient stifle joint...
, an alternative procedure - Tibial tuberosity advancementTibial tuberosity advancementTibial Tuberosity Advancement is an orthopedic procedure to repair deficient cranial cruciate ligaments in dogs. It has also been used in cats. This procedure was developed by Dr...
, another alternative procedure