Abstract
Trochleoplasty is often performed in dogs with medial patellar luxation (MPL); however,
the current guidelines on when to perform a trochleoplasty in dogs are vague. The
sulcus angle (SA) is used to assess the femoral trochlear morphology in humans. The
aim of this study is to describe a method to measure the SA and other parameters of
trochlea morphology in dogs using computed tomography. First, we searched for a suitable
measuring location for the SA. Transverse images of the femurs were obtained as perpendicular
planes to the tangent of the femoral trochlea which was 0 to 60 degrees (every 5 degrees)
to the anatomical axis of the femur. The deepest point of the femoral trochlea was
found in the transverse images perpendicular to the tangent of the femoral trochlea
which was at 15 degrees to the anatomical axis of the femur. The SA and the other
parameters of femoral trochlea morphology were measured at the deepest point of the
femoral trochlea. The SA of the stifle joints with grade 3 and 4 MPL was significantly
higher than the SA of stifle joints not affected by MPL. There was no significant
difference in the SA between dogs affected by grade 1 and 2 MPL and dogs not affected
by MPL. Further studies are needed to establish whether the SA can be used as selection
criteria for trochleoplasty.
Keywords
sulcus angle - dogs - femoral trochlea - patellar luxation - computed tomography
