Arthroscopy of the Stifle

The indications for arthroscopy of the stifle fall broadly into two categories. 1) Horses in which no clinical, radiographic, ultrasonographic or scintigraphic abnormalities in the stifle have been detected; their lameness has been abolished by intra-articular analgesia of the stifle, and conservative treatment has been unsuccessful. 2) Horses with specific stifle lesions for which arthroscopic investigation or treatment is indicated.

A standard routine for arthroscopic examination should be adopted (Walmsley 2002). The horse is maintained in dorsal recumbency with the tibia and femur held in a right angle. The author first examines the medial femorotibial joint (MFT) through the cranial approach followed by the lateral femorotibial joint (LFT), the caudal MFT and, in appropriate cases the caudal LFT. The leg is then straightened and the femoropatellar joint examined through an approach located between the middle and lateral patellar ligaments. Each compartment is examined systematically. Inaccessibility of the central part of the FT joints significantly compromises the evaluation of the joint. […]