Osteochondrosis of the canine tibiotarsal joint

Usefulness of Imaging Techniques in the Diagnosis of Selected Injuries and Lesions of the Canine Tarsus. A Review

Simple Summary

Tarsal joint lesions are uncommon in dogs but may lead to serious health problems. The most common diseases involving the tarsal joint are osteochondrosis, fractures and injuries of the Achilles tendon. The basis for the diagnosis of lesions in the tarsus is a thorough orthopedic examination, sometimes performed under sedation. Imaging modalities such as radiography, ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography can facilitate the detection and assessment of lesions in the canine tarsal joint. The aim of this paper is to characterize and compare the usefulness of imaging techniques available in veterinary medicine for the diagnosis and evaluation of lesions and injuries affecting the tarsal joint in dogs.

Abstract

Tarsus lesions are not common in dogs, but they can cause serious health problem. They can lead to permanent changes in the joint and, in dogs involved in canine sports, to exclusion from training. The most common diseases and injuries involving the tarsal joint are osteochondrosis, fractures and ruptures of the Achilles tendon. These conditions can be diagnosed primarily through accurate orthopedic examination, but even this may be insufficient for performing a proper diagnosis. Imaging modalities such as radiography, ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography can facilitate the detection and assessment of lesions in the canine tarsal joint. This review paper briefly presents some characteristics of the above-mentioned imaging techniques, offering a comparison of their utility in the diagnosis of lesions and injuries involving the canine tarsus.

Osteochondrosis dissecans of the tarsus in Labrador Retrievers: Clinical signs, radiological data and force plate gait evaluation after surgical treatment

Objectives: To report the outcome of unilateral surgery, by a plantaromedial approach, in 15 Labrador Retrievers with osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD) of the medial trochlear ridge of the talus. To evaluate the influence on outcome of age at surgery, bilateral involvement, periarticular soft tissue increase (PSI), osteophyte size (OS), decrease of range of joint motion and follow-up. To assess the extent of tarsal hyperextension in the standing dog.

Methods: A retrospective clinical and radiographic study was conducted and the posttreatment gait was analysed using a force plate. Ground reaction force (GRF) data were compared with data derived from 24 healthy Labrador Retrievers (control group).

Results: Six dogs had an excellent or good clinical result. Significant differences were found between the patients and the control group for many GRF data. Propulsive and vertical forces significantly decreased in the operated limb and increased in the contralateral pelvic and ipsilateral or both thoracic limbs. The lameness was significantly correlated to the OS postoperatively, the range-of-motion, the PSI, the length of the follow-up period, and the vertical ground force. No hyperextension in stance was recorded.

Clinical significance: Although most dogs improved, the prognosis remains guarded. This seems to be independent of age, bilateral involvement, or preoperative OS in these dogs. No relation between medial talar OCD and tarsal hyperextension in stance was found in these dogs.

IMAGING DIAGNOSIS--RADIOGRAPHIC, ULTRASONOGRAPHIC, COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHIC, AND FLUOROSCOPIC APPEARANCE OF A DISTAL PELVIC LIMB ARTERIOVENOUS MALFORMATION IN A YOUNG GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG

A German shepherd puppy presented for evaluation of a suspected arteriovenous fistula on the distal aspect of the right pelvic limb. Radiographs demonstrated expansion and resorption of the tarsal and metatarsal bones, and ultrasound detected a vascular abnormality. Using computed tomographic angiography, a complex arteriovenous malformation (AVM) involving the distal tibia, tarsus, and the metatarsus and an osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) lesion of the talus were identified. Based on these findings, therapeutic limb amputation was performed. Fluoroscopic angiography, vascular casting, and dissection were then used to further characterize features of this previously unreported AVM with concurrent bony lesions and OCD.

Computed tomography in small animals – Basic principles and state of the art applications

Since its clinical introduction, computed tomography (CT) has revolutionized veterinary medicine and is considered to be one of the most valuable tools for the imaging work-up of neurological, oncological and orthopaedic canine and feline patients. In small animals with acute trauma, particularly those involving complex anatomic areas such as the head, spine or pelvis, CT has been established as a standard imaging method. With the increasing availability of radiation therapy in veterinary medicine, CT has also become the principal tool to stage a tumour, assess response, and guide radiation therapy. The increasing availability of helical CT in veterinary medicine has allowed novel techniques such as spiral CT angiography and high-resolution CT. This review provides a brief overview of the historical and technical development of CT and literature reviews of the major clinical CT applications in small animals such as intracranial and extracranial lesions, the spine, the appendicular skeleton, and abdominal and thoracic diseases.

Developmental orthopedic disease

Developmental orthopedic diseases are a common cause of pain and lameness in young dogs. Most occur in large-breed dogs with rapid growth rates. This article reviews the signalment, etiology and pathogenesis, clinical signs, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis for many of the common developmental orthopedic diseases, including hypertrophic osteodystrophy, panosteitis, osteochondrosis, Legg-Calve-Perthes disease, hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, and pes verus.

Radiographic, computed tomographic and arthroscopic findings in 23 dogs with osteochondrosis of the tarsocrural joint

Twenty-three dogs with osteochondrosis of the tarsocrural joint were evaluated by radiography, computed tomography (CT) and arthroscopy. The radiographic examination included an extended and flexed mediolateral, a plantarodorsal, a flexed dorsoplantar skyline view, and a plantaromedial-dorsolateral and a plantarolateral-dorsomedial view (two oblique views). The CT examination was carried out in ventral recumbency and 1 mm slices were taken with a bone window setting; 31 lesions were identified in the 46 joints examined. The arthroscopic exploration used either a plantar or a dorsal puncture, depending on the site of the lesion. In six cases the lateral, and in 17 cases the medial trochlear ridge was involved. Although the survey radiographs were sufficient to make a diagnosis, the CT examination helped to determine the exact site, and the number and size of the fragments of bone. A four-stage classification system comparable to the one used in man was established. Arthroscopy provided information about synovial inflammation and damage to the joint cartilage, and made it possible to remove fragments of bone from one-third of the cases.

Computed tomography of the tarsal joint in clinically normal dogs

OBJECTIVE

To use computed tomography to provide a detailed description of tarsal joint structures in clinically normal dogs.

ANIMALS

6 clinically normal adult mixed-breed dogs weighing 25 to 35 kg and one 12-month-old Bullmastiff weighing 65 kg.

PROCEDURE

To perform computed tomography (CT) of both tarsal regions, dogs were anesthetized and placed in ventral recumbency. One- and 2-mm contiguous slices were obtained, using a third generation CT scanner Individual images were reviewed, using bone (window width = 3,500 Hounsfield units; window level = 500 Hounsfield units) and soft-tissue (window width = 400 Hounsfield units; window level = 66 Hounsfield units) settings. After euthanasia, the hind limbs from the Bullmastiff were removed and frozen at -18 C. Tarsal joints were sectioned into approximately 1-mm-thick slab sections, using a cryomicrotome. Anatomic sections were photographed and compared with the corresponding CT images. Computed tomographic reconstructions of the tarsocrural joint were created in sagittal and dorsal planes.

RESULTS

Structures on the CT images were matched with structures in the corresponding anatomic sections. The entire tarsocrural joint surface could be evaluated on the reconstructed images in the sagittal and dorsal planes.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE

CT images provide full anatomic detail of the bony structures of the tarsal joint in dogs. Tendons and large blood vessels can also be evaluated. These results could be used as a basis for evaluation of CT images of the hind limbs of dogs with tarsal joint injuries.

Use of contoured bar transhock external fixators in 17 cats

Seventeen cats with injuries involving the distal tibia, talocrural joints, tarsus and metatarsus were treated with contoured connecting bar transhock external fixators as either primary or secondary fixation. The assemblies stabilised all the injuries successfully. Fracture union was achieved in 11 out of 12 cases. Excellent results were achieved in eight cats and the outcome was satisfactory in a further five. Those cats with injuries involving talocrural joint luxation with displacement and significant periarticular soft tissue disruption had poorer long-term results. Complications occurred in seven cases.