Comparative cadaveric study of needle and conventional arthroscopy techniques of the feline stifle joint

Abstract

Objectives: Arthroscopy is a well-established diagnostic and therapeutic method for canine stifle pathology; however, its use in cats remains under-reported. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the efficacy and safety of conventional arthroscopy (CA) and needle arthroscopy (NA) in feline stifles. Methods: Paired stifles from 20 feline cadavers without clinical or radiographic stifle pathology were randomly assigned to two equal groups: CA (1.9 mm, 30°) and NA (1.9 mm, 0°). Arthroscopy was performed by a board-certified surgeon using a three-portal method and predefined evaluation sequence, ending with medial meniscus assessment. In 10 randomly selected stifles from each group, an extra-articular distractor was applied before medial meniscus evaluation. Procedure duration, visualisation quality, surgical difficulty and cartilage lesions were recorded. Periarticular and iatrogenic articular cartilage injuries (IACIs) were assessed via dissection and India ink staining. Results: NA yielded a lower mean surgical difficulty score, shorter mean arthroscopy duration and higher rate of complete medial meniscus visualisation than CA. No significant differences were found in absolute IACI (CA with distraction [CA-D]: 4.4 ± 2.8 mm2; CA without distraction [CA-nD]: 5.4 ± 2.4 mm2; NA with distraction [NA-D]: 3.9 ± 2.0 mm2; NA without distraction [NA-nD] 3.6 ± 2.4 mm2) or in percentage surface area affected (CA-D: 1.0 ± 0.6%; CA-nD: 1.3 ± 0.6%; NA-D 0.9 ± 0.4%; NA-nD 0.9 ± 0.6%). Conclusions and relevance: Stifle arthroscopy was feasible using both conventional and needle arthroscopes in feline cadavers without stifle pathology and may be considered a minimally invasive tool for diagnosing feline stifle disease. NA in smaller patients may offer advantages over CA in terms of feasibility and procedure duration. Although not statistically significant, NA tended to result in fewer IACIs. IACIs per joint were comparable to values reported in dogs.