Surgery

Nonconstrained elbow replacement in dogs.

Summary:

To review development of a nonconstrained total elbow replacement system for use in dogs and report the surgical technique used for implantation.

Conclusion:

Design improvements incorporated into the elbow replacement system should increase treatment success.

Author & Journal:Conzemius M., Vet Surg 2009 38:279-284

Evaluation of the clinical effects of diet and physical rehabilitation in dogs following tibial plateau leveling osteotomy

Summary:

To assess clinical effects of an omega-3 fatty acid and protein-enriched diet, physical rehabilitation, or both in dogs following tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) and arthroscopic surgery for cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) disease.

Conclusion:

Feeding the TF and providing physical rehabilitation during the first 6 months after TPLO were associated with improvements in some indices of clinical outcome and function in dogs. Significant interactions between time and some outcome variables were observed, indicating further research is warranted.

Author & Journal:Baltzer WI, et al, J Am Vet Med Assoc 252:686-700, 2018

Comparison of long-term outcomes associated with three surgical techniques for treatment of cranial cruciate ligament disease in dogs.

Summary:

To evaluate long-term (>1 year) outcomes with respect to function and complications in dogs undergoing TightRope (TR), tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO), or tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA) for treatment of cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) disease.

Conclusion:

Long-term outcomes for TPLO and TR were superior to TTA based on subjective client and DVM assessments. Each technique was associated with a high long-term success rate with TR showing the highest safety-to-efficacy ratio.

Author & Journal:Christopher SA, et al, Vet Surg 42:329-334, 2013

Double pelvic osteotomy for the treatment of hip dysplasia in young dogs.

Summary:

The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of the double pelvic osteotomy (DPO) (osteotomy of the ilium and pubis) to treat clinical cases of hip dyplasia in young dogs instead of performing a triple pelvic osteotomy (TPO) (osteotomy of the ilium, pubis, and ischium).

Conclusion:

Restoration of normal joint congruity (PC from 50 to 72%) and maintenance of the pelvic geometry without pelvic narrowing were the most intriguing features of DPO. The complications observed were greatly reduced when using dedicated DPO plates. Based on our experience, the morbidity after unilateral and bilateral DPO was lower than after TPO because elimination of the ischiatic osteotomy allowed for increased stability of the pelvis. The surgical technique of DPO was a little more demanding than TPO because of the difficulty in handling and rotating the acetabular iliac segment, but this difficulty was offset by elimination of ischial osteotomy.

Author & Journal:Vezzoni A, et al, VCOT 2010

Effects of early intensive postoperative physiotherapy on limb function after tibial plateau leveling osteotomy in dogs with deficiency of the cranial cruciate ligament.

Summary:

To determine effects of early intensive postoperative physiotherapy on limb function in dogs after tibial plateau levelingosteotomy (TPLO) for deficiency of the cranial cruciate ligament (CCL).

Conclusion:

After TPLO in CCL-deficient dogs, early physiotherapy intervention should be considered as part of the postoperative management to prevent muscle atrophy, build muscle mass and strength, and increase stifle joint flexion and extension ROMs.

Author & Journal:Monk, ML, et al, Am J Vet Res 67:529-536, 2006

Early clinical experience with osteochondral autograft transfer for treatment of osteochondritis dissecans of the medial humeral condyle in dogs.

Summary:

To establish whether osteochondral autograft transfer (OAT) procedures for osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the canine elbow would restore articular contour, resurface osteochondral defects with hyaline cartilage, and resolve lameness in the short term.

Conclusion:

OAT procedures are technically feasible in the canine elbow. In elbows with concurrent MCD, proximal ulnar osteotomy may improve likelihood of positive clinical outcome.

Author & Journal:Fitzpatrick N, et al, Vet Surg 2009 38:246-260

Assessment of the effects of diet and physical rehabilitation on radiographic findings and markers of synovial inflammation in dogs following tibial plateau leveling osteotomy

Summary:

To determine the effects of an omega-3 fatty acid and protein-enriched diet, physical rehabilitation, or both on radiographicfindings and markers of synovial inflammation in dogs following tibial plateau leveling osteotomy and arthroscopic surgery for treatment of cranial cruciate ligament disease. DESIGN Randomized, prospective clinical trial. ANIMALS 48 dogs with unilateral cranial cruciate ligament disease.

Conclusion:

Results suggested that feeding the TF can result in lower synovial fluid PGE2 concentrations and that both the TF and rehabilitation can reduce progression of osteoarthritis in the 6 months following tibial plateau leveling osteotomy; clinical relevance of slower osteotomy healing in dogs fed the TF was unclear.

Author & Journal:Verpaalen VD, et al, J Am Vet Med Assoc 252:701-709, 2018

Long-term radiographic comparison of tibial plateau leveling osteotomy versus extracapsular stabilization for cranial cruciate ligament rupture in the dog.

Summary:

Comparison of 2 methods of surgical management of cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) injury in large-breed dogs using a radiographic osteoarthrosis (OA) scoring system.

Conclusion:

Based on logistic regression analysis, dogs with larger OA score differences were 5.78 times more likely to have had ECR than TPLO.

Author & Journal:Lazar TP, et al, Vet Surg 34:133–141, 2005

Total joint replacement in the dog.

Summary:

Total joint replacement has evolved over the past 50 years from a concept that was first attempted in people suffering from osteoarthritis to a commonly applied practice in veterinary medicine. Although many questions have been answered, several controversies still exist, with many implant and technical options being explored.

Conclusion:

Currently, total hip and elbow replacement are commercially available options viable for use in dogs. These options are detailed in this article. Joint replacement for other canine joints (ie, knee, hock, shoulder) that develop osteoarthritis likely will be developed in the near future.

Author & Journal:Conzemius MG, et al, Vet Clin North Am Small Anim 2005

Safety and functional outcomes associated with short-term rehabilitation therapy in the post-operative management of tibial plateau leveling osteotomy.

Summary:

This retrospective cohort study using electronic questionnaires compared the perioperative complication rates of tibial plateau levelling osteotomy (TPLO) surgery and the 8-week, 6-month, and 1-year functional outcomes, between rehabilitation and traditional post-operative management.

Conclusion:

This study suggests that rehabilitationperformed by a certified practitioner is safe and may improve short-term outcomes when used in the initial postoperative managementfor dogs treated with TPLO.

Author & Journal:Romano LS, et al, Can Vet J 56:942-946, 2015