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Vet Comp Orthop Traumatol 2014; 27(04): 263-270
DOI: 10.3415/VCOT-13-08-0100
Original Research
Schattauer GmbH

Major complications and risk factors associated with surgical correction of congenital medial patellar luxation in 124 dogs

R. G. Cashmore
1   Small Animal Specialist Hospital, Surgical Department, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2   Veterinary Specialist Centre, Surgical Department, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW, Australia
,
M. Havlicek
1   Small Animal Specialist Hospital, Surgical Department, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2   Veterinary Specialist Centre, Surgical Department, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW, Australia
,
N. R. Perkins
3   AusVet, Animal Health Services, Toowoomba, Qld, Australia
,
D. R. James
1   Small Animal Specialist Hospital, Surgical Department, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2   Veterinary Specialist Centre, Surgical Department, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW, Australia
,
S. M. Fearnside
1   Small Animal Specialist Hospital, Surgical Department, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2   Veterinary Specialist Centre, Surgical Department, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW, Australia
4   Northern Sydney Veterinary Specialist Centre, Surgical Department, North Turrarmurra, Sydney, NSW, Australia
,
A. M. Marchevsky
1   Small Animal Specialist Hospital, Surgical Department, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW, Australia
,
A. P. Black
1   Small Animal Specialist Hospital, Surgical Department, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2   Veterinary Specialist Centre, Surgical Department, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW, Australia
4   Northern Sydney Veterinary Specialist Centre, Surgical Department, North Turrarmurra, Sydney, NSW, Australia
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Received: 13 August 2013

Accepted: 25 March 2014

Publication Date:
20 December 2017 (online)

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Summary

Dogs treated for congenital medial patellar luxation were reviewed for the purpose of determining the incidence of postoperative major complications requiring surgical revision and the risk factors for their occurrence. Major complications occurred in 18.5% of the patellar luxation stabilization procedures with implant associated complications being the most frequent, patellar reluxation the second, and tibial tuberosity avulsion the third most common major complication. Other complications included patellar ligament rupture and trochlear wedge displacement. When recession trochleoplasty was performed in addition to tibial tuberosity transposition, a 5.1-fold reduction in the rate of patellar reluxation was observed. Release of the cranial belly of the sartorius muscle further reduced the incidence of patellar reluxation, while patella alta (pre- or postoperative) and patellar luxation grade were not found to influence the rate of reluxation. Tibial tuberosity avulsion was 11.1-times more likely when using a single Kirschner wire to stabilize a transposition, compared with two Kirschner wires. Independent to the number of Kirschner wires used, the more caudodistally the Kirschner wires were directed, the higher the risk for tibial tuberosity avulsion. Tension bands were used in 24.4% of the transpositions with no tuberosity avulsion occurring in stifles stabilized with a tension band. Overall, grade 1 luxations had a significantly lower incidence of major complications than other grades, while body weight, age, sex, and bilateral patellar stabilization were not associated with risk of major complication development.

Keywords

MPL - patellar luxation - avulsion - trochleoplasty