Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cartilage damage and mineral deposits in cat knee joints
By Leijon, Alexandra et al.·Published in Research in veterinary science·2017·Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Cartilage lesions in feline stifle joints - Associations with articular mineralizations and implications for osteoarthritis.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 29 cats, aged 1 to 23 years, were examined for cartilage damage in their knee joints (stifles) after being euthanized for unrelated reasons. Most of the cats showed minimal to mild signs of osteoarthritis (OA) in their cartilage, particularly in the tibia (the shin bone). The study found that inflammation in the joint lining (synovitis) and changes in the bone beneath the cartilage were linked to the cartilage damage. However, small mineral deposits in the joints were not associated with the severity of OA. This suggests that while cartilage issues are common in older cats, small mineral deposits may not be a significant concern.
People also search for: cat knee joint pain · feline osteoarthritis symptoms · cat joint inflammation treatment
Abstract
Feline stifle osteoarthritis (OA) is common, however little is known about the early stages of the disease. Furthermore, the importance of small articular mineralizations (AMs) in feline stifle OA is controversial. This study aimed to describe microscopic articular cartilage lesions and to investigate associations between cartilage lesions and AMs, synovitis, osteochondral junction findings and subchondral bone sclerosis. Stifles of 29 cats, aged 1-23years and euthanized for reasons other than stifle disease, were examined. Osteochondral tissue and synovial membrane changes were histologically evaluated. Computed tomography and radiography were used for evaluation of AMs. Global cartilage scores (GCS, n=28) were summarized and joints assigned a histologic OA grade. Minimal to mild histologic OA was seen in 24/28 joints. In 27/29 joints tibial cartilage lesions were seen, whereas femoral lesions were only seen in two joints. Articular mineralizations were detected in 13/29 joints, 11 were small and 12 were located entirely within the medial meniscus. There was no association between GCS and presence or volumes of AMs. However, higher GCS was associated with synovitis (P=0.001) and age (P<0.0005). Presence of subchondral bone sclerosis (P<0.0005) and disruption of the calcified cartilage or tidemark (P<0.0005) were associated with cartilage lesions. We conclude that the tibial articular cartilage is a common location for histologic OA lesions in cats. Synovitis and changes in the subchondral bone and calcified cartilage may be important in the pathogenesis of feline stifle OA, whereas small AMs likely represent incidental findings.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28472738/