Trochlear Ridge Prosthetic Replacement Surgery in 20 Dogs with Medial Patellar Luxation: Clinical and Radiographic Findings.

The RidgeStop trochlear ridge prosthesis effectively corrects medial patellar luxation in most dogs with a low complication rate.

This retrospective observational study evaluated the RidgeStop trochlear ridge prosthetic replacement procedure in 20 client-owned dogs (25 limbs) with medial patellar luxation (MPL). The RidgeStop implant is designed to augment a hypoplastic trochlear ridge, providing mechanical restraint against patellar luxation without requiring traditional trochleoplasty. Clinical and radiographic resolution of MPL was achieved in 24/25 limbs (96%), demonstrating high procedural efficacy. No intraoperative complications were recorded, and there was no evidence of implant migration, failure, or infection across the cohort. The single case of recurrent luxation involved a dog with preoperative grade 4/4 MPL, suggesting severe preoperative grading may be a risk factor for treatment failure. Owner satisfaction surveys revealed perceived improvement in 71% of respondents (10/14), though 2/14 reported worsening and 2/14 reported no change, indicating some discordance between objective clinical outcomes and subjective owner perception. Preoperative radiographs commonly demonstrated stifle effusion and osteoarthritis, particularly involving the trochlear ridges and patella. Follow-up radiographs frequently showed proximal patellar ligament thickening and persistent stifle effusion, consistent with short-to-medium term post-surgical inflammatory changes. Concurrent surgical procedures were performed in several cases, which may confound outcome assessment. Limitations include the retrospective design, small sample size, variable follow-up periods, and incomplete owner survey response rate. Overall, the RidgeStop procedure demonstrates promising clinical results for MPL correction with a favorable complication profile, though prospective controlled trials are warranted to validate these findings.

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