Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Short-term risks of one-leg vs both-leg patellar surgery in small dogs
By Sanders, L B & Bevan, J M·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2019·Central Texas Veterinary Specialty Hospital, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Comparison of short-term complications between unilateral and single-session bilateral surgery for medial patellar luxation in small/medium breed dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of small dogs with knee problems called medial patellar luxation (where the kneecap slips out of place) underwent surgery either on one leg or both legs at the same time. The results showed that dogs that had both legs operated on at once had more complications and less improvement in their condition compared to those that had surgery on just one leg. Because of the higher risk of issues with the double surgery, it's suggested that dogs with this problem might do better with separate surgeries for each leg.
People also search for: dog knee surgery complications · medial patellar luxation treatment · small dog knee surgery recovery
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To compare the short-term complications of unilateral versus single-session bilateral medial patellar luxation surgery in small dogs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The medical records of dogs weighing less than 13∙6 kg that underwent medial patellar luxation surgery were reviewed. Dogs were included in one of two groups based on the type of surgery performed (unilateral or single-session bilateral). Postoperative patellar luxation grade and complications were compared between the groups. RESULTS: Two hundred and fifty-one dogs were included. In the bilateral treatment group, there was less improvement in patellar luxation grade and postoperative medial patellar luxation grade was higher. The frequency of major complications was higher in the bilateral group (23%) compared with the unilateral group (12%). CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Single-session bilateral medial patellar luxation surgery was associated with a higher complication rate compared to unilateral surgery in this non-randomised observational study. Staged rather than single-session bilateral surgery should be considered in dogs with bilateral medial patellar luxation to improve clinical outcome and reduce the chance of major complications.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30294790/