Cruciate ligament rupture
The operation in case of cruciate ligament rupture is the most frequent operation performed at the surgical small-animal clinic.
In humans, the cruciate ligament rupture happens acutely after a sudden unphysiological movement in the knee joint and it is a typical disorder, e.g. among football players.
In contrast, our dog patients as a rule have a chronic joint inflammation with arthrosis. As a result of misstep, the anterior cruciate ligament, which is weakened by inflammation, ruptures and often the meniscus also sustains damage.
The joint must be checked and defective parts of the meniscus and cruciate ligament must be removed. All these procedures are performed at the Veterinary Clinic Stuttgart with minimal invasiveness using arthroscopy, without opening of the joint.
In order to minimize the danger of implant loosening as much as possible, only high-quality, so-called stable-angle implants are used at the Veterinary Clinic Stuttgart: the screw head is anchored to the plate with an additional thread, which ensures a significantly more secure positioning of the bone plate for mechanical reasons. (àlink Synthes)
Plate loosenings or tears can be prevented in this way, which benefits the patient and also the pet owner.
Physiotherapeutic treatment after orthopedic operations has been also a gold standard in veterinary medicine for many years. Massages, movements and exercises performed under professional supervision lead not only to the shortening of reconvalescence but also to better functional results. (Physiotherapy)