Re: MMP TTA in dogs under 25kg

Malcolm Ness — Tue, 17 Dec 2013 16:48:03 GMT

Hi,

First, I have a vested interest in that I helped develop this technique. However, that does mean that I have some experience to share.

The small breed MMP kit uses a smaller wedge, 20mm long as against the standard 40mm long wedge. Saw guide and other instruments are similarly "down-sized". The small breed kit is, like all smaller surgery, somewhat "fiddlier" than operating on a larger dog so you have done the best thing by getting some experience with bigger dogs first. The only other consideration is the almost infinite variety in shape of the tibia in smaller dogs. Whereas in bigger dogs, a Labrador's tibia is very similar in shape to a Rottweiler, a Boxer, a Retriever etc etc, when it comes to small dogs things become a little more challenging. A Yorkie has a skinny small tibia whereas a Dachshund has a short thick tibia - from the surgeons point of view this means that you will need to give a little more thought to pre-op planning - specifically the location of the osteotomy. There is nothing complicated about that just a couple of minutes in front of the X ray to determine the best position for the tibial osteotomy. There is a variety of proximal and distal pins for the small saw guide to aid positioning on the patient. PM me if you want more detail.

We have some experience in MMP in small dogs with concomitant medial patella luxation - a minor modification to the MMP procedure allows you to lateralise the tibial tuberosity and correct the medial patella luxation along with the cruciate.