Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
What the meniscal flounce sign means for dog knee tears
By Katz, Landon R et al.·Published in Veterinary surgery : VS·2022·Animal Specialty Center, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: The significance of the meniscal flounce sign in canine stifle arthroscopy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs undergoing knee surgery (stifle arthroscopy) were evaluated for a specific sign called the meniscal flounce sign, which helps determine if the knee's meniscus is torn. In this study, most dogs with a positive sign had a normal meniscus, while many without the sign had meniscal tears. This means that if your dog shows a positive meniscal flounce sign during surgery, it likely indicates a healthy meniscus, but if the sign is absent, it suggests a tear is present. Understanding this sign can help veterinarians diagnose knee issues more accurately.
People also search for: dog knee surgery meniscal tear · meniscal flounce sign in dogs · dog knee injury diagnosis
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine the diagnostic significance of the meniscal flounce sign in association with meniscal tears. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SAMPLE POPULATION: One hundred and thirty stifles in 120 client-owned dogs that underwent stifle arthroscopy. METHODS: Identification of a positive or negative meniscal flounce sign was recorded with the presence or absence of meniscal pathology. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and diagnostic accuracy were calculated. RESULTS: Eighty-nine stifles (68.5%) were noted to have a positive meniscal flounce sign. Of these stifles, four were noted to have a meniscal tear, and they were all radial tears. A total of 41 stifles (31.5%) had a negative meniscal flounce. Of these stifles, 38 had a meniscal tear. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and diagnostic accuracy of the meniscal flounce sign for indicating an intact or torn meniscus were 96.6%, 90.5%, 95.5%, 92.7%, and 94.6%, respectively. CONCLUSION: A positive meniscal flounce sign was associated with a normal meniscus and the absence of the flounce sign was associated with a meniscal tear. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Identification of the meniscal flounce sign during stifle arthroscopy is a strong indicator of a normal medial meniscus. The absence of the sign strongly indicates the presence of meniscal pathology.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34558081/