Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Synovitis found in dogs before cruciate ligament rupture in stable
By Bleedorn, Jason A et al.·Published in Veterinary surgery : VS·2011·School of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Synovitis in dogs with stable stifle joints and incipient cranial cruciate ligament rupture: a cross-sectional study.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with stable knee joints were found to have early signs of joint inflammation (synovitis) even before any noticeable instability or injury to the cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL). This study looked at 16 dogs with CrCL issues and compared them to 10 healthy dogs. It showed that the inflamed joints had more signs of arthritis and damage than the healthy ones. The findings suggest that synovitis can be an early warning sign of potential knee problems in dogs.
People also search for: dog knee joint inflammation · signs of dog cruciate ligament injury · how to treat dog arthritis
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate stifle joints of dogs for synovitis, before development of joint instability and cranial cruciate ligament rupture (CrCLR). STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. ANIMALS: Dogs (n = 16) with CrCLR and stable contralateral stifles; 10 control dogs with intact CrCL. METHODS: Arthritis and tibial translation were graded radiographically. Synovitis severity and cruciate pathology were assessed arthroscopically. Presence of inflammatory cells in synovial membrane biopsies was scored histologically. CrCLR stifle pairs and control stifles were compared. RESULTS: Radiographic evidence of arthritis, cranial tibial translation, and arthroscopic synovitis were increased in unstable stifles, when compared with stable contralateral stifles in CrCLR dogs (P < .05). Arthroscopic synovitis in both joints of CrCLR dogs was increased compared with controls, was correlated with radiographic arthritis (S(R) = 0.71, P < .05), and was present in all stable contralateral stifles. Arthroscopically, 75% of stable stifle joints had CrCL fiber disruption, which correlated with severity of synovitis (S(R) = 0.56, P < .05). Histologic evidence of synovitis was identified in all CrCLR dogs, but was only significantly correlated with arthroscopic observations in stable stifles (r(2) = 0.57, P < .005). CONCLUSION: Synovitis is an early feature of the CrCLR arthropathy in dogs before development of joint instability clinically. Severity of synovitis is correlated with radiographic arthritis in joints with minimal to no clinically detectable CrCL damage.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21615432/