Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How meniscus removal affects dog knee pressure after cartilage grafts
By Choate, Christina J et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2013·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Effect of lateral meniscectomy and osteochondral grafting of a lateral femoral condylar defect on contact mechanics: a cadaveric study in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at how a surgical procedure called osteochondral autograft transfer (OAT) affects the knee joint in dogs, specifically focusing on the role of the meniscus. When the meniscus was intact, the surgery helped restore normal pressure in the joint after a cartilage defect was created. However, if the meniscus was removed during the surgery, it led to a significant decrease in contact area and an increase in pressure, which could be harmful. The findings suggest that keeping the meniscus intact is important for better outcomes after this type of surgery.
People also search for: dog knee surgery recovery · osteochondral grafting in dogs · meniscus injury treatment in dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Osteochondral autograft transfer (OAT) aims at restoring normal articular cartilage surface geometry and articular contact mechanics. To date, no studies have evaluated the contact mechanics of the canine stifle following OAT. Additionally, there are no studies that evaluated the role of the meniscus in contact mechanics following OAT in human or canine femorotibial joints. The objective of this study was to measure the changes in femorotibial contact areas (CA), mean contact pressure (MCP) and peak contact pressure (PCP) before and after osteochondral autograft transplantation (OAT) of a simulated lateral femoral condylar cartilage defect with an intact lateral meniscus and following lateral meniscectomy. RESULTS: With an intact lateral meniscus, creation of an osteochondral defect caused a decrease in MCP and PCP by 11% and 30%, respectively, compared to the intact stifle (p < 0.01). With an intact meniscus, implanting an osteochondral graft restored MCP and PCP to 96% (p = 0.56) and 92% (p = 0.41) of the control values. Lateral meniscectomy with grafting decreased CA by 54% and increased PCP by 79% compared to the intact stifle (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: OAT restored contact pressures in stifles with a simulated lateral condylar defect when the meniscus was intact. The lateral meniscus has a significant role in maintaining normal contact pressures in both stifles with a defect or following OAT. Meniscectomy should be avoided when a femoral condylar defect is present and when performing OAT.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23522348/