CASE REPORT article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Surgery
Combined Intra-and Extracapsular Stabilization for CCL Rupture in a Toy-Breed Dog: A Case Report
Provisionally accepted
- 1IU animal medical center, Seongnam-si, Republic of Korea
- 2Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu, Republic of Korea
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Cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL) rupture is a frequent orthopedic condition leading to hindlimb dysfunction in dogs. While tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) has become the predominant surgical choice in large breeds, its use in toy-breed dogs remains controversial due to anatomical constraints and implant limitations. This case report presents a 10-year-old, 2.0 kg Maltese with CrCL rupture and underlying cardiac disease, for whom osteotomy was contraindicated. A hybrid stabilization technique was performed, combining intra-articular suture placement with extracapsular anchoring via bone tunnels, intentionally avoiding use of the lateral fabella. The procedure resulted in rapid postoperative limb function recovery and no observed complications. This outcome highlights the potential clinical value of non-osteotomy-based stabilization in ultra-small dogs, particularly in cases where traditional methods pose excessive risk. Continued case accumulation and long-term monitoring are necessary to further validate the safety and efficacy of this approach.
Keywords: canine (; dog), Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CrCL) rupture, Intra articular, Extra articular, Toy-breed dog
Received: 25 Aug 2025; Accepted: 13 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Park and Han. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Ho Jae Han, hjhan@snu.ac.kr
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