Use of a Jumbo 3.5-mm Plate for Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy in Dogs Weighing more than 50 Kg (110 LB)

Introduction: Several studies report a statistically significant influence of body weight on overall TPLO complication rate. A Jumbo 3.5-mm TPLO plate that includes 10 holes was recently designed with the goal of strengthening the construct to minimize the chances of mechanical failure and, hence reducing the incidence of complication in dogs over 50 kg.

Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was made on dogs over 50 kg that underwent TPLO with Jumbo 3.5-mm plate.

Results: Fourteen stifles were included in the study. All the dogs underwent a stifle arthroscopy which led to diagnosis of 57% complete cranial cruciate ligament rupture and 43% meniscal tear. The mean time of surgery was 88 minutes. The immediate postoperative tibial plateau angles ranged between 3 and 9 degrees and the mean value was 6 degrees. Major and minor complications occurred in 20 and 6% of the cases, respectively. The 6-week radiographs showed clinical union in 78% of the dogs. There were no significant differences (p = 0.57) between the immediate postoperative tibial plateau angle and the 6-week control tibial plateau angle.

Discussion/Conclusion: The Jumbo plate appears to be a good alternative to multiple plating, as it increases strength of the construct in comparison to a broad 3.5-mm plate without the need of an augmentation plate and the associated increased risk of infection. Strength and stiffness of the construct can be evaluated by the incidence of breakage and loss of reduction postoperatively. We did not describe any implant breakage and postoperative shift of the tibial plateau was statistically not significant.

Acknowledgment: None.