Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Permanent fibular nerve damage after dog knee surgery TPLO
By Anderson, Oliver et al.·Published in Veterinary and comparative orthopaedics and traumatology : V.C.O.T·2024·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences and Services, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Permanent Iatrogenic Fibular Nerve Injury following Tibial Plateau Levelling Osteotomy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Three dogs developed a permanent fibular nerve injury after undergoing a surgery called tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) to fix knee problems. This injury caused muscle wasting in the lower leg, difficulty flexing the hock (ankle), and mild limping. One dog had the injury confirmed through special testing. The injury was linked to a specific drilling technique used during the surgery, so veterinarians are advised to be cautious in that area to avoid this complication.
People also search for: dog limping after TPLO surgery · fibular nerve injury in dogs · TPLO surgery complications
Abstract
The aim of this study was to describe three dogs with permanent fibular nerve injury following tibial plateau levelling osteotomy (TPLO). Fibular nerve injury following TPLO led to atrophy of the cranial tibial muscle, absent hock flexion and a mild lameness. Fibular nerve injury was confirmed in one case with electrodiagnostics. All three cases had a drill tract in the same location, on the caudal aspect of the tibia, immediately distal to the tibial osteotomy. Permanent fibular nerve injury following TPLO occurred with a more caudally positioned plate and care should be taken when drilling the tibia from medial to lateral in the region described. Careful gait assessment at routine follow-up was required to identify this complication.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38447962/