Patellar luxation and concomitant cranial cruciate ligament rupture in dogs - A review

Abstract

A patellar luxation and concomitant cranial cruciate ligament rupture is a common pathology in dogs. Diagnosis is based on clinical evidence of a patellar luxation and stifle joint instability. However, diagnostic imaging is required to assess the number of skeletal deformities and signs of instability. Surgical options include both soft tissue and osseous techniques, although, in most cases, a combination of multiple procedures is necessary to correct the patellar luxation and restore the stifle joint stability. Complication rates are generally low, but can include reluxation and implant-associated complications. This article describes the patellar luxation and cranial cruciate ligament rupture signs in dogs, including the clinical presentation and diagnosis, and discusses current treatment options.

Clinical evaluation of complications after surgical treatment of patella dislocations in dogs: A retrospective study

“…Although the surgical plan varies according to the degree of patellar luxation, proximal tibia or distal femur deformities are also effective on the surgical plan [3,4,15,24,25]. In this study, only grade 3 and grade 4 dogs were used among dogs with patellar luxation.…”

“…Therefore, a combination of femoral trochleaplasty (trochlear block recession), tibial tuberosity transposition, and soft tissue surgery (to create tension without patellar instability) was used in each dog. These techniques have been described in previous studies [3,4,8,15,19] and are known in practice, and are often used in combination depending on the case.…”

“…Parts of the extensor mechanism of the knee joint are the quadriceps muscle group, the patella, the trochlear groove, the patellar ligament and the tibial tuberosity. Any irregularity in this mechanism leads to some anatomical changes in the distal femur and proximal tibia during the growth period, followed by patellar instability [6,12,14,15]. Additionally, causes such as distal femoral varus or valgus, external or internal torsion of the distal femur, proximal tibial varus or valgus, internal or external tibial torsion and shallow trochlear sulcus structure also cause patellar luxation [6].…”

“…The diagnosis of patellar luxation is easy with clinical examination as well as radiological examination [6,15,16,17,18]. Among the surgical treatment methods, besides soft tissue techniques, bone correction operations such as block recession sulcoplasty, wedge recession sulcoplasty, and tibial tuberosity transposition have also been defined [5,6,19].…”

Short-term outcomes of cranial cruciate ligament rupture treated surgically with tibial plateau leveling osteotomy or non-surgically in small-breed dogs weighing less than10 kg

“…Predisposing factors for CCLR include large-breed dogs, overweight conditions, neutered males, spayed females, a steep tibial plateau angle (TPA), and patellar luxation [ 4 , 26 ]. In small-breed dogs, CCLR often results from excessive stress due to stifle instability and internal rotation of the proximal tibia, which is associated with MPL, especially grade 4 luxation [ 5 , 6 ]. The management of CCLR can involve both non-surgical and surgical treatments.…”