Eighty‐five dogs were diagnosed as having rupture of the cranial cruciate ligament. They were managed by restriction of activity to leash walks for 3 to 6 weeks, weight loss if indicated, and analgesic medication as needed. Twenty‐four of 28 dogs that had a body weight of 15 kg or less (85.7%) were considered to be clinically normal (no lameness and normal range of motion in stifle, 21 dogs) or improved (3 dogs) after an average follow‐up period of 36.6 months. Lameness in the remaining four dogs persisted or worsened over an average period of 8.2 months (minimum 6 months), and surgical replacement of the cruciate ligament was performed. Eleven of 57 dogs that had a body weight of 15 kg or greater (19.3%) were classified as normal (4 dogs) or improved (7 dogs) after an average follow‐up period of 49.1 months. Lameness in the remaining 46 dogs persisted or worsened over an average period of 10.2 months (minimum 6 months), and surgical replacement of the cruciate ligament was performed.
Two thousand sixty-three surgical procedures were performed on 1992 patients (1715 dogs and 277 cats). In a retrospective analysis, the procedures were categorized according to the expected degree of wound contamination, and corresponding wound infection rates were determined. The number of procedures in each category and the percent that became infected were as follows: clean (1 100, 2.57'0), clean-contaminated (554, 4.57'0)~ contaminated (1 72, 5.80/,), and dirty (237, 18.1%). The administration of antibiotics significantly reduced the frequency of wound infection in clean surgical procedures performed by senior veterinary students (p < 0.05), but not in clean elective procedures performed by faculty or resident surgeons that required 90 minutes or less to complete. There was a significant correlation between elevation of rectal temperature postoperatively and increased duration of the surgical procedure. However, the rectal temperature measured the day after surgery was not an accurate predictor of wound infection.
Thirty-four dogs that had surgical correction of medial patellar luxation (MPL) in 52 stifle joints were examined after a minimum follow-up period of 1 year (median, 3.6 years). The dogs were divided into the following three groups depending on their age at the time of surgery: group 1, 3 to 6 months; group 2, 8 to 20 months; and group 3, 2.2 to 12 years. Two of the dogs in group 3 had ruptured their cranial cruciate ligament in addition to having MPL. The results were based on a clinical assessment of the animal's gait, and physical and radiographic examination of the stifle joints. Six of seven stifle joints evaluated in group 1 had radiographic evidence of moderate to severe degenerative joint disease of the patellofemoral joint, and in two of the joints recurrence of MPL was observed. Failure to maintain reduction of the patellofemoral joint was also observed in 11 of 22 (50%) and 12 of 23 (52%) of the stifle joints in groups 2 and 3, respectively. In the latter groups, mild degenerative joint disease was evident radiographically in stifle joint that had not maintained reduction. Four of the 34 dogs were consistently (n = 2) or intermittently (n = 2) lame; the two dogs that were consistently lame had cranial instability of the stifle consistent with rupture of the cranial cruciate ligament. In the latter two dogs, the cranial cruciate ligament had been intact at the time of surgery for correction of MPL.
Histologic changes in meniscal cartilage correlate with gross appearance of the cartilage at time of surgery for rupture of the CCL. On the basis of minimal histologic changes, routine removal of grossly normal menisci does not appear to be warranted.
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