Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Short-term complications after TPLO surgery in small and medium dogs
By Garnett, Steve D & Daye, R Mark·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2014·Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Short-term complications associated with TPLO in dogs using 2.0 and 2.7 mm plates.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of small and medium-sized dogs underwent a tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) surgery to fix knee problems, and about 36% experienced complications afterward. The most common issue was delayed healing at the surgery site, but none showed noticeable signs of this problem. Other complications included thickening of the patellar tendon and fractures in the tibial tuberosity, with some dogs needing further surgery. Despite these risks, many dogs recovered well without needing additional treatment, and the surgery remains a viable option for these breeds.
People also search for: dog TPLO surgery complications · small dog knee surgery recovery · patellar tendon thickening in dogs
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate short-term complications associated with the tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) procedure in dogs of small and medium sizes. These study findings could then be compared with similar studies in dogs of all sizes. Ninety-eight procedures (82 dogs) using 2 or 2.7 mm TPLO plates were included spanning a 6 yr period with a minimum of an 8 wk follow-up period. The overall complication rate was 36%. Complications were grouped into three categories: intraoperative (2%), those occurring up to 2 wk postoperatively (11%), and those occurring >2 wk postoperatively (30%). Radiographic evidence of delayed healing of the TPLO osteotomy site was the most common complication in the dogs (9%), none of which had clinical signs attributed to delayed healing. Other common complications included patellar tendon thickening (8%) and tibial tuberosity fracture (6%). Seven percent of the complications were considered major (requiring additional surgical intervention). Fifty-two percent of complications did not require treatment. Short-term complications should not dissuade an experienced surgeon from performing the TPLO procedure in small- and medium-sized dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25379733/