Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Why a clear line shows up on dog X-rays after TPLO surgery
By Olive, Julien et al.·Published in Veterinary surgery : VS·2014·Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Canada·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A pitfall on postoperative radiographs in dogs after tibial plateau leveling osteotomy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs that had surgery to fix a torn knee ligament (cranial cruciate ligament rupture) sometimes showed a strange line on their X-rays after the procedure. This line, which appeared in about 16% of the dogs, was more likely to show up if the bone was misaligned during surgery. It was found that this line was not an actual fracture but rather an optical illusion caused by the way the bone was cut. Understanding this can help veterinarians avoid unnecessary concerns about complications in dogs that have this line on their X-rays.
People also search for: dog knee surgery complications · TPLO surgery X-ray results · why does my dog have a line on X-ray after surgery
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To identify the cause of an occasional radiolucent line in the tibia on postoperative radiographs after tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) in dogs. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series and ex vivo experiment. SAMPLE POPULATION: Dogs (n = 80; 87 stifles) with cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) rupture that had TPLO; and 4 canine tibia specimens. METHODS: Medical records (2007-2010) and radiographs of dogs that had TPLO were reviewed and examined for presence of a radiolucent line on postoperative radiographs. The TPLO procedure was reproduced ex vivo to determine the origin of this line by use of metallic wires to identify bone contours. RESULTS: A curvilinear radiolucent line was visible in 14 (16%) tibias and was 5.4 times more likely to be visible with lateral misalignment of the tibial diaphysis relative to the plateau and 2.6 times more likely visible on caudocranial radiographs with the stifle in outward rotation. Fracture complication rate was higher in dogs with this radiolucent line (P = .02) and with lateral misalignment of the tibial diaphysis relative to the plateau (risk ratio, 3.8). The line could be reproduced ex vivo and caused by superimposition of the craniomedial border of osteotomy with the tibial plateau. CONCLUSIONS: The radiolucent line was a spurious fracture line created by the medial margin of the tibial osteotomy and confounding factors such as tibial misalignment may explain the apparently associated higher complication rate.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24400679/