Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How CT scans help diagnose knee meniscus tears in dogs
By Knudsen, Lars et al.·Published in Veterinary surgery : VS·2024·Anicura Kø·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Diagnosis of medial meniscal lesions in the canine stifle using multidetector computed tomographic positive-contrast arthrography.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with knee injuries underwent a special imaging test called computed tomographic positive-contrast arthrography (CTA) to check for meniscal tears, which are common problems in dogs with cranial cruciate ligament injuries. The results showed that this imaging method was fairly good at identifying these lesions, with varying accuracy depending on the experience of the person interpreting the scans. Overall, the CTA was found to be a useful tool for diagnosing meniscal issues, which can help guide treatment decisions.
People also search for: dog knee injury diagnosis · meniscal tear in dogs · cranial cruciate ligament injury treatment
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess diagnostic value and clinical utility of multidetector computed tomographic positive contrast arthrography (CTA) for meniscal lesions in dogs. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective case series. STUDY POPULATION: Client-owned dogs (n = 55) with cranial cruciate ligament injuries. METHODS: Sedated dogs underwent CTA using a 16-slice scanner, and subsequently received mini-medial arthrotomy for meniscal assessment. Scans were anonymized, randomized, and reviewed twice for meniscal lesions by three independent observers with varying experience. Results were compared with surgical findings. Reproducibility and repeatability were assessed with kappa statistics, intraobserver changes in diagnosis by McNemar's test, and interobserver differences using Cochran's Q test. Test performance was calculated using sensitivity, specificity, proportion correctly identified, and positive and negative predictive values and likelihood ratios. RESULTS: Analysis was based on 52 scans from 44 dogs. Sensitivity for identifying meniscal lesions was 0.62-1.00 and specificity was 0.70-0.96. Intraobserver agreement was 0.50-0.78, and interobserver agreement was 0.47-0.83. There was a significant change between readings one and two for the least experienced observers (p < .05). The sum of sensitivity and specificity exceeded 1.5 for both readings and all observers. CONCLUSION: Diagnostic performance was suitable for identifying meniscal lesions. An effect of experience and learning was seen in this study.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37332128/