AN EVALUATION OF 3 DIFFERENT CRANIAL CRUCIATE LIGAMENT SURGICAL STABILIZATION PROCEDURES AS THEY RELATE TO POSTOPERATIVE MENISCAL INJURIES - A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY OF 665 STIFLES
La. Metelman et al., AN EVALUATION OF 3 DIFFERENT CRANIAL CRUCIATE LIGAMENT SURGICAL STABILIZATION PROCEDURES AS THEY RELATE TO POSTOPERATIVE MENISCAL INJURIES - A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY OF 665 STIFLES, Veterinary and comparative orthopaedics and traumatology, 8(2), 1995, pp. 118-123
Cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL) rupture is the most commonly diagnose
d stifle condition in the dog. Meniscal injury, in conjunction with Cr
CL rupture is also common in both man and dogs. There is a growing con
cern regarding meniscal injuries, whether unrecognized at the time of
CrCL surgical stabilization or subsequent to stabilization, and the re
lationship to poor postoperative functional outcome. However, current
literature is not specific as to an actual number of dogs subsequently
requiring a second arthrotomy/meniscectomy. Three different CrCL stab
ilization operations in dogs were compared, retrospectively, for the o
ccurrence of post-operative meniscal damage requiring a second arthrot
omy and meniscectomy. Additional information concerning: signalment, w
eight, history of injury, CrCL ruptured, surgeon, type of CrCL rupture
and amount of arthritis present was recorded in 665 cases. It was fou
nd that 13.8% of the stifles at risk (i.e. those stifles that did not
have the meniscus removed at the time of initial surgical stabilizatio
n) returned for a second arthrotomy/meniscectomy. A significant differ
ence in outcome was not found between the results when initially perfo
rmed by different surgeons. The number of dogs which returned for a se
cond arthrotomy/meniscectomy whose weight were less-than-or-equal-to 1
5 kg was significant, when compared to the total number of dogs consid
ered at risk for this weight range. There was a significantly lower ra
te of return, in those dogs at risk, which had received fibular head t
ransposition stabilization.