[Meniscus injuries in dogs with rupture of the cruciate ligament]

In a period of 18 months, 132 stifle joints of 125 dogs with a partial or complete rupture of the cranial cruciate ligament were examined according to a systematic protocol at the Clinic for Small Animals of the School of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, Germany. Surgery was performed with either an intraarticular or extraarticular surgical technique. In all cases a "cleaning up" was carried out. If the medial meniscus was damaged it was resected and the lesion was inspected macroscopically. After six months, 88 patients were examined clinically and radiologically according to the same protocol as half a year before. Injuries of the medial meniscus occurred in 77.3% of the 132 cases. Furthermore it could be shown that patients which had a lameness for more than six weeks before examination had a higher rate of lesions of the medial meniscus than patients that had been lame for a shorter period. A detachment of the caudal horn of the medial meniscus was the most common meniscal lesion. There was no difference in success of therapy between patients with a meniscal resection and those without resection.