Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Meniscal mineralization found in 46% of domestic cats on X-rays
By Freire, Mila et al.·Published in Veterinary surgery : VS·2010·College of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Meniscal mineralization in domestic cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study found that nearly half of the cats examined had meniscal mineralization, which is a buildup of minerals in the knee cartilage, often linked to joint problems. While this condition was common, it didn't seem to cause noticeable pain in the cats. However, the presence of mineralization was associated with more severe joint damage in the knee. The exact significance of this finding is still unclear, and more research is needed to understand whether this mineralization leads to joint issues or is a result of them.
People also search for: cat knee pain · meniscal mineralization in cats · cat joint disease symptoms · signs of arthritis in cats
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To (1) determine prevalence of radiographically detectable meniscal mineralization in domestic cats and (2) to evaluate the association between meniscal mineralization and degenerative joint disease (DJD). STUDY DESIGN: Prospective study. ANIMALS: Client-owned cats (n=100) and 30 feline cadavers. METHODS: Randomly selected client-owned cats were used to determine the prevalence of meniscal mineralization. Stifles from feline cadavers were used to evaluate the relationship between meniscal mineralization (using high-resolution X-ray), radiographic DJD, and cartilage damage. Menisci were evaluated histologically. RESULTS: Forty-six percent of the client-owned cats had meniscal mineralization detected in 1 or both stifles. Pain scores were not significantly different between stifles with meniscal mineralization and those with no radiographic pathology (P=.38). Thirty-four of 57 cadaver stifles had meniscal mineralization, which was always located in the cranial horn of the medial meniscus. Percentage mineralization of the menisci was significantly correlated with the cartilage damage score of the medial femoral (r(2)=0.6; P<.0001) and tibial (r(2)=0.5; P<.0001) condyles as well as with the total joint cartilage damage (r(2)=0.36; P<.0001) score and DJD score (r(2)=0.8; P<.0001). CONCLUSION: Meniscal mineralization is a common condition in domestic cats and seems to indicate medial compartment DJD. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Clinical significance of meniscal mineralization is uncertain. Further work is needed to determine if the meniscal mineralization is a cause, or a consequence of joint degeneration.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20345540/