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TPLO – Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy – Cranial Cruciate Ligament Repair

7 June 2008 7 Comments

TPLO, or tibial plateau leveling osteotomy, is a common surgery performed on dogs to stabilize the stifle (knee) joint after a tear or rupture in the cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) (can be compared to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in humans). Normally, the cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) prevents backward-forward movement of the stifle joint. When it tears/ruptures, the stifle joint becomes unstable and the dog suffers lack of mobility, lameness or loss of use and is subject to chronic and progressive arthritis in the stifle if untreated.

In a TPLO procedure, the tibial plateau, the portion of the tibia adjoining the stifle (knee), is cut and rotated so that its slope changes to approximately 5 degrees from the horizontal plane, forever changing the biomechanics of the dogs movement. This prevents the femur from sliding down the slope of the plateau. It is rumored that TPLO surgery generally results in faster recovery times compared to other procedures to stabilize the knee joint. 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 pain relieving medication.

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