The Effect of Intercondylar Notchplasty on the Normal Canine Stifle

This study evaluated the effect of notchplasty (enlargement of the intercondylar fossa) in stable and unstable canine stifles. Bilateral notchplasty and unilateral cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL) transection were performed in 6 dogs. Exercise, consisting of walking 1.5 miles three times a week, began 1 month after surgery and continued until euthanasia 6 months after surgery. Evaluation methods included orthopedic examination, serial radiographs, thin section radiography, histopathology, and gross pathology. Notchplasty in the stable stifle did not cause lameness beyond 3 weeks, joint instability, or degenerative joint disease. In the stable stifle, smooth resurfacing of the notchplasty site with fibrous and osseous tissue occurred. Stifles with notchplasty and CrCL transection exhibited persistent lameness, instability, and degenerative joint disease. In CrCL deficient stifles osteophytes formed within the notchplasty site, resulting in a rough surface. Our observations indicated significant refilling in notchplasties of both stable and unstable stifles ( P <.05). However, the intercondylar fossa (ICF) width 6 months after notchplasty was significantly smaller in unstable stifles compared with stable stifles ( P <.05) indicating that greater refilling of the notchplasties occurred in the unstable stifles. In clinical cases, notchplasty should be larger than the desired final result to accomodate the partial refilling that occurs even in stable stifles.     

The Intercondylar Fossa of the Normal Canine Stifle: An Anatomic and Radiographic Study

The intercondylar fossa (ICF) in dogs consists of a cranial outlet, intercondylar shelf, caudal arch, caudal outlet, a medial wall, and a lateral wall. The normal cranial outlet is bell-shape and, in mixed-breed dogs (mean body weight 19.2 kg, N = 21), measured 5.8 mm cranially, 8.1 mm centrally, and 10.3 mm caudally. The ICF is oriented 12° from the dorsal plane of the femoral diaphysis and obliqued 7°, proximolateral to distomedial, in the sagittal plane. To adjust for dog size, a fossa width index (FWI) was calculated by dividing the cranial outlet width by the distance between epicondyles. The normal FWI as determined in this study was 0.18 cranially, 0.25 centrally, and 0.32 caudally. The fossa height index was 0.31. Contact between the ICF and the cranial cruciate ligament began at about 115° of extension. The contact area moved cranially in the intercondylar fossa as the stifle was extended. Evaluation of the ICF can be performed radiographically but positioning is critical.     

The clinical and radiological features associated with spinal tumours in thirty dogs

The clinical, neurological and radiographic features of thirty dogs with spinal tumours are described. Twenty were investigated at post mortem, and of these, eleven had primary nerve tissue tumours, four primary vertebral tumours, and in the remaining five the spinal involvement was secondary from neoplasms elsewhere in the body.     

Myelography in the cat

The results of 18 myelograms in cats are recorded. All were performed following cisternal puncture. Three different water-soluble contrast agents were used. The technical considerations are discussed and the features of normal and abnormal myelograms described.     

The use of sagittal diameter measurement in the diagnosis of cervical spinal stenosis

Cervical vertebral sagittal diameter measurements were made on radiographs of a series of dogs of different breeds which were treated for conditions unrelated to the spine. These values were added to those previously recorded (Wright, 1977) and a normal range was established for four breeds. Similar figures were also recorded from dogs exhibiting clinical signs of cervical spinal stenosis and the majority fell outside this normal range. The usefulness of this measurement as an aid to the diagnosis of cervical spinal stenosis is discussed.     

Macroinvertebrate frequency data for the RIVPACS III sites in Great Britain and their use in conservation evaluation

1. A total of 637 macroinvertebrate taxa were recorded from the 614 running-water sites in the RIVPACS III data-set for Great Britain, after the application of a standardization procedure to ensure that all samples were identified to the same taxonomic level. 2. The frequency of occurrence of the 637 taxa in the data-set is presented and discussed. 3. The wide range of sites and taxa included in this study represents a valuable source of information on the occurrence of local species which complements the Red Data Book (RDB) and Notable (N) species designations in current use for conservation evaluations.