Main osteotomies for treating rupture of the cranial cruciate ligament in dogs - a literature review.

The cranial cruciate ligament is the main cause of lameness in the pelvic limb in dogs. Rupture causes are multifactorial, such as degenerative, inflammatory and traumatic processes. It mainly affects large dogs with no gender predisposition. The main clinical sign is lameness. Tibial compression and tray tests are performed for diagnosis, together with anamnesis. Radiographs are also important for assessing the tibial plateau and the diagnosis of degenerative joint disease. Many surgical techniques can be used for treatment. Osteotomies are currently the most accepted ones, due to the anatomical conformation of the canine knee. The aim of this paper is to describe the main osteotomy for treating cranial cruciate ligament rupture in dogs, stating the indications and complications of each technique. It can be concluded that there are several osteotomy techniques for the treatment of cranial cruciate ligament, each of them with their own indications and complications. It is, therefore, very important to measure the tibial plateau angle for the correct choice of techniques.