AN EVALUATION OF 3 DIFFERENT CRANIAL CRUCIATE LIGAMENT SURGICAL STABILIZATION PROCEDURES AS THEY RELATE TO POSTOPERATIVE MENISCAL INJURIES - A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY OF 665 STIFLES

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.