Handling of the tibial muscle envelope in tibial plateau levelling osteotomy - to elevate or not?

D. J. F. von Pfeil; M. R. Edwards; N. C. Nelson

doi:10.3415/VCOT-12-12-0148

Veterinary and Comparative Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Table of Contents

Vet Comp Orthop Traumatol 2013; 26(05): 392-398
DOI: 10.3415/VCOT-12-12-0148

Original Research

Schattauer GmbH

Handling of the tibial muscle envelope in tibial plateau levelling osteotomy - to elevate or not?

A clinical study of 40 dogs

D. J. F. von Pfeil

¹Veterinary Specialists of Alaska, P.C., Anchorage, Alaska, USA

²Michingan State University, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, East Lansing, Michigan, USA

,

M. R. Edwards

¹Veterinary Specialists of Alaska, P.C., Anchorage, Alaska, USA

,

N. C. Nelson

²Michingan State University, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, East Lansing, Michigan, USA

› Author Affiliations

Abstract

Summary

Objective: To compare the outcome of the tibial plateau levelling osteotomy (TPLO) procedure, using a 6-hole 3.5 mm locking TPLO plate and performed with the muscle elevation technique (ET) and placement of sponges, to the TPLO without performing these steps (non-elevation-technique [NET]).

Material and methods: Medical records and radiographs of dogs with ET (n = 21) or NET (n = 19) were retrospectively reviewed. Signalment, TPLO procedure side, meniscal treatment, surgery time, haemorrhage, preand postoperative tibial plateau angle, assistant, amount of rehabilitation, bone healing (cortical, osteotomy, combined healing scores), complications, limb function, recovery time and follow-up were recorded and analysed using multivariate analysis. A value of p <0.05 was considered significant.

Results: Surgery time was significantly shorter with the NET (68.5 min ± 3.4) than with the ET (87.8 min ± 3.4) (p <0.01). No significant differences were detected for all other evaluated factors. Soft tissue trauma was minimal and none of the dogs suffered severe haemorrhage. The bone healing scores with the NET and the ET were not significantly different (p = 0.1, p = 0.2, p = 0.1). Complications were rare, minor and not significantly different between groups (p = 0.73).

Clinical relevance: The results of this in vivo study indicate that NET is a feasible technique that can be considered for the clinical setting.

Keywords

Tibial plateau levelling osteotomy - muscle envelope - popliteal artery - popliteal vein - dog - stifle

Full Text

References

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