Needle arthroscopy enables safe and effective meniscal treatment in medium-sized dogs, with superior visibility compared to standard arthroscopy.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility of performing meniscal transection and shaver debridement (MTSD) with a 1.9-mm needle arthroscope (needle arthroscopy [NA]) in medium-sized (7- to 15-kg) dogs, and to compare meniscal visibility, procedural difficulty, and iatrogenic articular cartilage injury (IACI) with a standard 2.7-mm arthroscope (standard arthroscopy [SA]). METHODS: The study was conducted between May 1 and July 31, 2024. Paired pelvic limbs from 24 medium-sized canine cadavers were alternately assigned to 1 of 2 operators. Within each pair, stifles were then randomly assigned to NA or SA. Each stifle underwent arthroscopic joint exploration and MTSD. Meniscal visibility scores and procedural difficulty scores were assigned. Following MTSD, joints were carefully disarticulated and IACI was determined with an India ink assay. Incidence and total surface area (mm2) of IACI were recorded. Mann-Whitney tests were utilized to assess for differences in meniscal visibility, procedural difficulty, and IACI between NA and SA. RESULTS: Meniscal visibility scores were significantly higher with NA for both medial and lateral menisci. There were no significant differences in procedural difficulty scores or IACI between arthroscope types. CONCLUSIONS: MTSD can be successfully performed with NA in medium-sized dogs. The needle arthroscope provided significantly improved meniscal visibility compared to SA, without increasing procedural difficulty or IACI. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: These findings support the consideration of NA as a valuable tool for meniscal evaluation and treatment in dogs.