Interposition arthroplasty was compared with excision arthroplasty which is not effective in overweight dogs. Sixteen dogs, weighing more than 20 kg were divided into two groups. Excision arthroplasty was performed on the first group (8 animals), whereas on animals of the second group, from caudal to cranial, a flep of m. biceps femoris was fixed at a caudo-cranial position between proximal femur and acetabulum. The dogs in both groups were examined clinically and radiologically for 6 months, at weekly intervals, and they were sacrificed at the end of this period.

Histopathologic examinations were performed on animals with Interposition arthroplasty in order to find out whether the muscle placed between femur and acetabulum was viable. Although, in histopathologic examinations of the flap, some lesions were detected, in clinical examinations, it was found that interposition arthroplasty gave better results than excision arthroplasty.

Symptoms such as lameness, muscle atrophy, shortness of leg seen after excision arthroplasty, were less prominent, if not absent in dogs with interposition arthroplasty.

The only disadvantage of interposition arthroplasty was the development of haematom, abscess and oedema during postoperative period. These complications were shortly eliminated by an appropriate treatment.