Diagnostic Reliability of Stifle Arthroscopy of Pathological Changes in Cruciate Deficient Knee

Abstract

Arthroscopy is becoming a modern mini-invasive method of diagnosis and therapy of cranial cruciate ligament rupture in the stifle of the dog. This study was engaged in the arthroscopically assisted diagnosis and therapy of 42 cases of the cranial cruciate ligament rupture. Every arthroscopic operation was turned to arthrotomy for the purpose of verifying the correctness of findings. Comparing stifle arthrotomy and arthroscopy, the diagnostic accuracy of arthroscopic findings ranged in dependence on the kind of lesion and intraarticular tissue affected in the stifle with CCL rupture from 92 to 100%. Hundred percent reliability of arthroscopic findings was noted when evaluating the integrity of the cranial cruciate ligament. The diagnosis was wrong in two out of 25 cases of medial meniscal damage. Arthroscopic evaluation of the articular cartilage and synovial membrane was very precise and more detailed than during arthrotomy. Arthroscopy, after routine mastering of the technique, can thus be a reliable diagnostic method ensuring mini-invasiveness of evaluation of intraarticular structures in the stifle affected with CCL rupture.