New FONT technique targets two canine stifle problems at once

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A new Journal of Small Animal Practice study describes the Fulkerson-based oblique novel technique, or FONT, as a single osteotomy approach intended to treat two stifle problems at once in dogs: cranial cruciate ligament disease and medial patellar luxation. According to the paper’s abstract, the technique advances and lateralizes the tibial tuberosity through an oblique cut, with the goal of addressing instability and patellar maltracking in the same procedure. The work was evaluated in computational modeling and cadaveric analysis, so this is an early-stage, preclinical report rather than a clinical outcomes study in live canine patients. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

Why it matters: Concurrent cranial cruciate ligament rupture and medial patellar luxation can be difficult to manage, especially in small-breed dogs, because surgeons often need to correct both tibial thrust and malalignment while limiting implant burden and osteotomy-related risk. Prior literature and reviews suggest there’s still no settled consensus on the best approach for these combined cases, and newer combined-procedure concepts are being explored to reduce the drawbacks of performing multiple corrective techniques separately. FONT is notable because it appears designed to merge advancement and lateralization into one tibial tuberosity osteotomy, which could be relevant for referral surgeons if later clinical studies show acceptable stability, healing, and complication rates. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

What to watch: The next key question is whether FONT moves from cadaveric and modeling work into prospective clinical cases with follow-up on healing, implant performance, reluxation, and return to function. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)