Summary
Objectives
To measure lateral and medial tibial plateau angle values in isolated canine tibiae
and to compare lateral and medial tibial plateau angle values between dogs based on
sex and breed.
Methods
Tibiae of 90 dogs from 24 different breeds were used. Photographs were taken of the
medial and lateral aspects of the tibiae for measurement of the medial and lateral
tibial plateau angles. Additionally, the medial tibial plateau angle was measured
from radiographs of the tibiae. Two-way analysis of variance was used to test the
effects of side, sex and breed on the medial and lateral tibial plateau angles as
measured from photographs as well as the medial tibial plateal angles as measured
from radiographs. The photographic and radiographic medial tibial plateau angles were
compared by paired t-test, whereas the medial and lateral photographic tibial plateau
angles were compared by t-test.
Results
When all dogs were included in the analysis, the difference between the mean medial
tibial plateau angle (24.0 ± 3.19°) and the mean lateral tibial plateau angle (25.5
± 3.84°) as measured from photographs was significant (p <0.05). The difference in
the photographic medial tibial plateau angle between male and female dogs was significant
(p <0.05), whereas the difference in the photographic lateral tibial plateau angle
between sexes was not significant. There was a significant difference between the
medial and lateral tibial plateau angles as measured from photographs in male dogs
(p <0.05) but not in female dogs. Breed comparisons also showed significant differences
for the photographic lateral tibial plateau angle (p <0.05).
Clinical significance
The axial rotation of the femoral condyles on the tibial plateau is probably affected
by the discrepancy between the medial and lateral tibial plateau angles, and this
difference in certain breeds might influence the prevalence of cranial cruciate ligament
disease.
Keywords
Lateral plateau angle - dog - medial tibial plateau angle - cranial cruciate ligament