Injuries to the cranial cruciate ligament and associated structures: summary of clinical, radiographic, arthroscopic and pathological findings from 10 horses

Abstract

Summary The clinical, radiographic, arthroscopic and pathological findings of 10 horses with injury to the cranial cruciate ligament are presented. The most consistent clinical signs included moderate to severe distension of the femoropatellar joint and a Grade III to a Grade V out of V lameness. Craniocaudal instability could be elicited in five horses under general anaesthesia and in one conscious horse. Radiographic evaluation of the stifles revealed that avulsion fracture of the medial intercondylar eminence was the most common finding in six out of 10 horses. Arthroscopic examination of the affected femorotibial joints were performed in five horses. This confirmed the presumptive diagnosis of cranial cruciate ligament injury or rupture. Post mortem examinations were performed on two horses which documented partial tears of the cranial cruciate ligament.

Computed tomography of the stifle region in the horse: a comparison with radiographic, ultrasonographic and arthroscopic evaluation

“…Arlh ro sko p i sche U ntersu ch u n g Bei 15 Pferden (1, 3, 4, 5, 6, B, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15,16, 18, 19 und 20) Prades et al, 1989;Desjardins und Hurtig, 1991;Boening, 1996). Feslzuhalten ist, daß durch die angewandte sonographische Methodik und die verwendeten Geräte in Übereinstimmung mit Aschenbrenner (1996) und Penninck (1990) …”

Characterization of experimentally induced post-traumatic osteoarthritis in the medial femorotibial joint of horses

“…38 Substantial degeneration has been observed in the cartilage overlying sclerotic SCB, but whether this cartilage damage preceded or followed the bony alterations is unknown. 3,38,39 Osteoarthritis of the equine stifle joint has frequently been described as a sequel to joint instability secondary to soft-tissue injury 41,42 or joint incongruity secondary to osteochondrosis 43 or subchondral cystic lesions. 38,40 While SCB injury and subsequent remodeling are found prominently in joint disease of the equine carpal and fetlock joints, these lesions are unreported in the stifle joint.…”

Hind Limb Skeletal Lesions in 12‐Month‐Old Bulls of Beef Breeds

“…This was described in three growing bulls as marginal lesions of osteochondrosis (Reiland et al, 1978), and in a mature bull was associated with avulsion and damage of the cranial cruciate ligament insertion (Mckay, 1959). In horses, fragments of the medial eminence are always associated with injury to the cranial cruciate ligament (Prades and Grant, 1989). In the present study, all fragments contained a core of bone and were located in the free part of the eminence, which does not provide attachment to the ligament.…”