34th Annual Scientific Meeting proceedings

Objectives:

While stifle arthroscopy is a well-established diagnostic and therapeutic method in the treatment of canine stifle pathology, arthroscopic examination of feline stifles is underreported. Our study aimed to evaluate and compare efficacy and safety of conventional (CA) and needle arthroscopy (NA) in feline stifles.

Methods:

Paired stifles from 20 feline cadavers without clinical or radiographic evidence of significant stifle pathology were randomly assigned to equal groups – CA (1.9mm 30°) and NA (1.9mm 0°), with or without distraction. Arthroscopy was performed by a boarded surgeon using a 3-portal-method. Procedure duration, visualization, surgical difficulty, and cartilage lesions were scored. Periarticular and iatrogenic articular cartilage injury (IACI) was evaluated by dissection and India ink assay.

Results:

NA resulted in a lower mean surgical difficulty score (P=0.02), a shorter mean arthroscopy duration (9.9 minutes vs. 11.5 minutes, P=0.03) and a higher proportion of medial meniscus visualization (92.5% vs. 80%, P=0.03) compared to CA. No differences were identified in absolute IACI (CA with distraction (CA-D) 4.4+/-2.8mm², CA non-distraction (CA-nD) 5.4+/-2.4mm², NA-D 3.9+/-2.0mm², NA-nD 3.6+/-2.4mm²; P=0.12-0.91) and percent surface area IACI (CA-D 1.0+/-0.6%, CA-nD 1.3+/-0.6%, NA-D 0.9+/-0.4%, NA-nD 0.9+/-0.6%; P=0.09-09.7) between groups.

Conclusions:

Stifle arthroscopy was feasible using conventional and needle arthroscopy in feline cadavers without stifle pathology and should be considered as minimally invasive tool in feline stifle joint disease. Needle arthroscopy in small patients might provide benefits over conventional arthroscopy in terms of feasibility and procedure duration. Although differences in IACI were not significant between groups, NA tended to result in less IACI.