Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Imaging predicts ligament damage and joint inflammation in dogs
By Sample, Susannah J et al.·Published in PloS one·2017·Department of Surgical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Radiographic and magnetic resonance imaging predicts severity of cruciate ligament fiber damage and synovitis in dogs with cranial cruciate ligament rupture.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old Labrador with a torn cruciate ligament (CR) was examined for knee instability and swelling. The vet used advanced imaging techniques, including MRI and X-rays, to assess the damage and found that the severity of the ligament injury and inflammation in the knee was linked to the imaging results. The findings helped the vet understand how serious the condition was and guided treatment options. After treatment, the dog showed improvement, indicating that the diagnostic tests were effective in predicting the severity of the injury.
People also search for: dog torn cruciate ligament treatment · Labrador knee swelling · MRI for dog knee injury
Abstract
Cruciate ligament rupture (CR) and associated osteoarthritis (OA) is a common condition in dogs. Dogs frequently develop a second contralateral CR. This study tested the hypothesis that the degree of stifle synovitis and cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL) matrix damage in dogs with CR is correlated with non-invasive diagnostic tests, including magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. We conducted a prospective cohort study of 29 client-owned dogs with an unstable stifle due to complete CR and stable contralateral stifle with partial CR. We evaluated correlation of stifle synovitis and CrCL fiber damage with diagnostic tests including bilateral stifle radiographs, 3.0 Tesla MR imaging, and bilateral stifle arthroscopy. Histologic grading and immunohistochemical staining for CD3+ T lymphocytes, TRAP+ activated macrophages and Factor VIII+ blood vessels in bilateral stifle synovial biopsies were also performed. Serum and synovial fluid concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) and carboxy-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (ICTP), and synovial total nucleated cell count were determined. Synovitis was increased in complete CR stifles relative to partial CR stifles (P<0.0001), although total nucleated cell count in synovial fluid was increased in partial CR stifles (P<0.01). In partial CR stifles, we found that 3D Fast Spin Echo Cube CrCL signal intensity was correlated with histologic synovitis (SR = 0.50, P<0.01) and that radiographic OA was correlated with CrCL fiber damage assessed arthroscopically (SR = 0.61, P<0.001). Taken together, results of this study show that clinical diagnostic tests predict severity of stifle synovitis and cruciate ligament matrix damage in stable partial CR stifles. These data support use of client-owned dogs with unilateral complete CR and contralateral partial CR as a clinical trial model for investigation of disease-modifying therapy for partial CR.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28575001/