Elbow Dysplasia: Update on Aetiopathogenesis Diagnosis and Current Treatment Concepts

Elbow dysplasia is the most common cause of thoracic limb lameness in large- and giant-breed dogs. Several large epidemiological studies have examined the genetic basis of elbow dysplasia, which appears to be inherited differently in different breeds. there is also evidence that the different manifestations of elbow dysplasia could be inherited independently. it is a multifactorial disease process with a genetic predisposition and secondary environmental influencing factors such as high-energy diets or excessive exercise. recent evidence has supported various forms of joint incongruity as the most likely mechanism, causing different pathologies (more than one of these problems may occur in the same elbow joint at the same time): 1. Medial Coronoid Disease (MCD) this is the most frequently diagnosed component of the elbow dysplasia pathology group comprising medial coronoid sclerosis, coronoid microfracture, coronoid fragmentation or fissuring, and cartilage damage to the coronoid process, with or without joint incongruity. the term fragmented medial coronoid process has fallen from favour as Ct and arthroscopy have revealed that coronoid fragmentation is only part of the pathology present with MCD. […]