Tendon and ligament disease - SA Flashcards
Name 2 types of tendon injury
- traumatic lacerations
- strains (breaking or dehisence of fibres, mechanically induced or result of weakening by degeneration)
Outline mm injury
similar to tendons, less commonly specifically diagnosed
Presentation - tendon/ mm injuries
- lameness (acute/ chronic)
- swelling (diffuse, painful, oedema if acute, organised and established if chronic)
- specific functional disability (e.g. unable to extend stifle)
Diagnosis - tendon/ mm injuries
- CS (dysfunction)
- radiograph (swelling, gap)
- ultrasound (gap, loss of linear orientation of fibres)
Pathophysiology of tendon repair
- fibroblasts and collagen fibres line up along line of action
- sheathed tendons have poorer blood supply and heal slower
- 6 weeks to regain 50% normal strength
- 1 year to regain average 80% normal strength
Tx - tendon injry
- rest
- specific support to protect tendon from loading (dressing, cast, trans-articular fixator)
- primary sx repair for lacerations (tendon sutures to manage load, direct contact of edges, suture of epi-tendon to promote healing)
- ultrasound to monitor
Name 2 suture patterns for tendon repair
- locking loop
- 3 loop pulley (creates loops around collagen fibres)
- appose tendon edges (3mm gap intereferes with tendon healing)
- non-absorbable prolene (takes long time to heal)
Degree of ligament injury/ sprain
- mild/ moderate / severe/ = first/ second/ third degree
- increasing levels of soft tissue damage, swelling, pain, lameness and instability
Ligamentous injury - PE
normal PE but especially ROM
- further tests: (radiography with stressed views, ultrasound, manipulate under anaesthesia)
- always check for ancillary damage
Tx - ligament injury
- rest, reduce swelling (drugs, cooling)
- external coaptation + support
- ligament repair
- internal ligament splintage
- attention to other structures
- arthrodesis
- degree of tx depends on instability, pain and healing potential*
What is arthrodesis?
- a salvage procedure
- joint fusion
- ROM of joint is permanently lost
Tx - long-term tx of ligament injury
- long aftercare periods - slow healing
- not always acceptable function (repair mechanics not perfect, extra-chronic capsular tissue, secondary OA)
- may require arthrodesis at second stage
How common is ligament disease in small animals?
Not very common except canine cranial cruciate ligament
Describe the cranial cruciate
runs from proximal and lateral femur to distal and medial tibia, the caudal cruciate runs in opposite direction.
- cranial cruciate is designed to resist the force that as the dog moves forward and thrust it weight forwards, the reactive force acts caudally and the stifle is vulnerable to this caudal force as the round profile of the femur can slip across the tibial plateau. If the CCL ruptures and the femur can move across the tibia, the menisci can become damaged
What is canine cruciate disease?
- normally related to degeneration
- can be acute (trauma or degenerative ligament giving way)
- associated with MPL (medial patella luxation)
- causes a debilitating cr-cd instability in the stifle
- 60% cases involve medial meniscus
- human CL injuries normally traumatic, canine CL injuries are usually the consequence of gradual degeneration of the ligament