Tibial Tuberosity Advancement

Tibial tuberosity advancement is an orthopedic surgical procedure used mainly in dogs, and occasionally in cats, to repair a deficient cranial cruciate ligament, the canine equivalent of the human anterior cruciate ligament, which stabilizes the knee, or stifle, joint. Unlike the sudden traumatic tears common in humans, the ligament in dogs usually degenerates gradually, and certain breeds, including Labradors, Rottweilers and Boxers, are genetically predisposed to the condition. During the operation the surgeon cuts the tibial tuberosity free and advances it forward with a titanium cage, changing the angle of the patellar ligament so it neutralizes the shearing force on the joint during weight bearing rather than repairing the ligament itself. The technique was developed in the late 1990s by veterinary surgeons at the University of Zurich in Switzerland.