The cranial cruciate ligament is the primary ligament inside the knee that is responsible for the stability of the joint. This ligament prevents the tibia and the femur from sliding back and forth on each other. This action is referred to as drawer motion. When a dog has a partial tear or ruptures the cruciate ligament, the joint becomes very painful due to the inflammation caused by the increased drawer motion. If not stabilized, the joint can become dramatically arthritic over time.
The goal of TPLO is to neutralize the effect of this drawer motion. A circular cut is made in the top of the tibia and the smaller portion of the bone is rotated to decrease the angle of the top. A specially shaped bone plate is used to hold the two bone segments together with at least 6 screws. This surgeon made fracture site will heal in the new position over time, and with rehabilitation.
This procedure provides superior outcomes over other methods for midsize to large breed dogs with cranial cruciate rupture.
Both Dr. Ainsworth and Dr. Gauthier have taken additional training to perform this procedure and have been doing TPLO's since 2013 with great success.
IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT AFTERCARE INSTRUCTIONS BE FOLLOWED TO ENSURE THE SUCCESS OF THE SURGERY. For a copy of aftercare instructions for TPLO, click here.
Here are some useful videos of rehabilitation procedures described in the aftercare instructions: