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TPLO (tibia plateau leveling osteotomy) is one of many corrective methods for treating a ruptured cranial cruciate ligament in the stifle joint. All animals, regardless of age and sex, are susceptible to ligament damage, and the main symptom is lameness, a positive drawer sign and compression test which indicate instability of the femoral-tibial joint. This method, by changing the angle of the articular surface of the tibia, reduces displacement of the tibia, i.e. pathological drawer movement. This type of technique modifies the mechanics of the stifle and stabilizes it by actively attaching the joint.

Before the TPLO procedure is performed, an orthopedic consultation is necessary to take correct X-rays of the pelvic limb and to take measurements. After taking X-rays, we measure the tibial plateau angle (TPA). This angle is calculated from 3 lines: a line drawn from the medial tibial condyle to the center of the intercondylar protrusion on the tibial plateau (line a). The second line (b) is determined by the surface of the plateau, while the third line (c) is created from the intersection of lines a and b, of which it runs perpendicular to line (a). The angle between lines a and b is the plateau angle of the tibia. On this basis, we determine the degree of rotation of the tibial plateau, which is stabilized during surgery by a plate that is selected according to the size of the stifle joint. Measuring the angle of the tibial plateau plane is extremely important in order to choose the correct surgical technique.

In the case of a ruptured cranial cruciate ligament in a dog whose anatomical structure of the stifle shows the tibial plateau plane of more than 24 degrees, TPLO surgery is the method of choice, limiting possible complications with alternative procedures such as TTA , TTA RAPID, FLO, TIGHT ROPE or CBLO.