Arthroscopy Cases Referrals 

Alaskan Malamute - July 2008

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Some Recent Cases, October 2005

A young Rottweiller came over from the Channel Islands recently having been suffering from a forelimb lameness for a few months. Radiographs of the shoulder showed that a flap of cartilage had come loose inside the shoulder joint, a condition known as Osteochondritis Dissecans (OCD). This is a fairly simple diagnosis (the x-rays show that when dye is put in the shoulder it highlights the free fragment) and removal is possible arthroscopically (the colour pictures show the flap in place). Traditionally the flap would require removal via an extensive arthrotomy which would normally take some time to recover from however arthroscopy allows a more accurate removal with less trauma to the tissues around the shoulder and a quicker recovery.

A very different case, but one that was as amenable to arthroscopy was a dog with bilateral hind limb lameness. It was difficult to see which side was worse but the dog clearly had severe difficulty getting about, added to this the patient was not young and so a minimally invasive approach was by far the best way forward.

Clinical examination and x-rays showed that the problem was associated with both stifles (knees) and although both cruciate ligaments were badly damaged we felt that it was likely that the pain was associated with meniscal damage. The dog was taken straight to theatre were both stifles were examined arthroscopically. In both cases the cranial cruciate ligaments were ruptured but in addition both medial menisci (cartilages) were badly torn. These tears were simply trimmed out with some specialised equipment we have. This is another case that proves the benefits of arthroscopy over traditional surgery. Because the arthroscopy procedure is minimally invasive we can see to both stifles at the same time and the recovery is significantly quicker something which is even more important when dealing with elderly patients.

Patrick Ridge

BVSc Cert VR MRCVS