Gollnick et al: Tibial fracture associated with use of Arthrex self‐tapping screws during tibial plateau leveling osteotomy in dogs and development of transcortical tibial fracture
Veterinary Surgery 6, 2024

🔍 Key Findings

• 42% of dogs (33/78) treated with Arthrex 3.5 mm STS during TPLO developed radiographic TCTF
• TCTFs occurred exclusively distal to the osteotomy
• 14% of screws (36/250) distal to the osteotomy were associated with TCTFs
• 6% of dogs with TCTFs developed major complications (e.g., complete tibial fracture requiring surgical revision)
• Angulation of cortical STS screws, especially in the distal plate holes, was a key contributor to complications
• Locking screws were also involved, but cortical screws angled improperly were overrepresented in serious outcomes
• Revision recommendations included preemptive fixation for large TCTFs or angulated screw placements
• Use of non-self-tapping screws (NSTS) previously showed a <1% TCTF rate, supporting higher risk with STS