{{Short description, Vterinary orthopedic surgical method Tightrope CCL is a

veterinary Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. Along with this, it deals with animal rearing, husbandry, breeding, research on nutri ...

orthopedic Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternatively spelt orthopaedics), is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeleta ...

surgical method developed to provide a

minimally invasive procedure Minimally invasive procedures (also known as minimally invasive surgeries) encompass surgical techniques that limit the size of incisions needed, thereby reducing wound healing time, associated pain, and risk of infection. Surgery by definition ...

for extracapsular stabilization of the canine cranial cruciate ligament-deficient

stifle joint The stifle joint (often simply stifle) is a complex joint in the hind limbs of quadruped mammals such as the sheep, horse or dog. It is the equivalent of the human knee and is often the largest synovial joint in the animal's body. The stifle jo ...

. The cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL) stabilizes the dog knee much like the

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation ...

(ACL) does in humans. There are several modalities currently being used in the treatment of

cranial cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation. ...

(CrCL) deficiency, which is a common and costly problem in dogs and sometimes cats. The Tightrope CCL technique utilizes a very strong suture material called FiberTape and isometric placement of small bone tunnels to provide bone-to-bone fixation while not causing the trauma of cutting through the bone of the

tibia The tibia (; ), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outside of the tibia); it connects ...

like a TPLO -

tibial plateau leveling osteotomy TPLO, or tibial-plateau-leveling osteotomy, is a surgery performed on dogs to stabilize the stifle joint after ruptures of the cranial cruciate ligament (analogous to the anterior cruciate ligament CLin humans, and sometimes colloquially called th ...

or TTA -

Tibial tuberosity advancement Tibial Tuberosity Advancement (TTA) is an orthopedic procedure to repair deficient cranial cruciate ligaments in dogs. It has also been used in cats. This procedure was developed by Dr. Slobodan Tepic and Professor Pierre Montavon at the School ...

procedure. The objective of TightRope CCL is to counteract cranial tibial thrust, drawer, and internal rotation while providing optimal joint range of motion.

Alternative procedures

* Tibial-plateau-leveling osteotomy *

Triple tibial osteotomy The triple tibial osteotomy is a surgical procedure used to treat dogs that have completely or partially ruptured the cranial cruciate ligament in one or both of their stifles. The cranial cruciate ligament connects the femur with the tibia, which ...

Simitri Stable in Stride Simitri Stable in Stride is a three part modular surgical implant used during surgery performed on dogs to stabilize the stifle joint (knee) after rupture of the cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL) which is analogous to the anterior cruciate ligament ...

References

James L. Cook, Jill K. Luther, Jodi Beetem, Cristi R. Cook; University of Missouri, Comparative Orthopaedic Laboratory: ''Tightrope CCL for treatment of cranial cruciate deficiency in dogs: Technique and results of a prospective comparison to TPLO using a validated outcome measures''. Whitepaper 2007
arthrexvetsystems.com

External links

*Tightrope CCL Technique Guide
arthrexvetsystems.com
*University of Missouri-Columbia
''Technique Used In Human Ankle Injuries Modified To Treat Dogs' Knees.''
June 2008
Tightrope CCL for treating canine cranial cruciate deficiencyDVM360 Article
Dog health Veterinary procedures