TPLO surgery stands for Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy, which is a surgical treatment used to stabilize the stifle joint when the Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CrCL) has ruptured. The surgery involves changing the angle and relationship of the femur and the tibia to reduce the amount that the tibia shifts forward when the CrCL is torn. Unlike other surgeries, TPLO restores mobility to a dogs knee without relying on the damaged ligament for stability. The surgery is performed by making a curved cut in the top of the tibia bone to include the tibial plateau, which is then rotated to level the tibia and femur.
Recovery from TPLO surgery is generally rapid, with about half of all canine patients beginning to walk on the injured leg within 24 hours after surgery. Most dogs are bearing moderate to complete amounts of weight on the affected leg by 2 weeks postoperatively, and by 10 weeks, most dogs do not have an appreciable limp or gait abnormality. Dogs with partial tears tend to recover quicker than dogs having complete ligament tears. The most common complication after TPLO is infection, which occurs in less than 10% of all patients.
