Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Short-term healing and complications after tibial tuberosity surgery
By Bander, Noah B et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2018·and Department of Statistics, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Short-Term Prospective Clinical Evaluation of a Polyglycolic Acid Tibial Tuberosity Advancement Cage Implant.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with knee problems due to a torn ligament underwent surgery using a special biodegradable cage to help their knee heal. The study included 26 dogs of various breeds and sizes, and while the healing of their knees looked good on X-rays, nearly 40% of them experienced complications after the surgery. This complication rate was higher than what is typically seen with metal cages. Although the biodegradable cages showed promise for healing, the high rate of issues means that more research is needed to improve these types of implants.
People also search for: dog knee surgery complications · biodegradable cage for dog knee · torn ligament treatment in dogs
Abstract
This study investigated the short-term radiographic healing of the osteotomy following tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA), maintenance of patellar tendon angle (PTA), and complications in dogs receiving a polyglycolic acid (PGA) TTA cage. Patients diagnosed with unilateral cranial cruciate ligament disease requiring a 9- or 12-mm TTA cage were included. Twenty-six consecutive client-owned dogs were prospectively selected for this clinical study. Age, weight, sex, breed, cage size, surgery date, and follow-up time were recorded. Radiographs were scored for healing and measured for PTA immediately, at 6 wk, and at 10 wk postoperatively. All stifles were assessed for complications throughout the study period. Stifles with PGA cages had similar overall healing scores compared to previously reported values for metallic cages, and the PTA was well maintained at 6 and 10 wk postoperatively. Polyglycolic acid cages were associated with a higher complication rate (10/26, 38%; 95% confidence interval, 0.19-0.61) compared with previously reported complication rates for metallic cages. Despite favorable healing scores and overall PTA maintenance, PGA cage use resulted in a high complication rate. Proposed advantages offered by this particular implant over currently used metallic cages are offset by this high complication rate. Additional investigation of bioabsorbable materials and implant design should be considered.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29372868/