Summary
Objective: Assessment of the effect of intraarticular anaesthesia on lameness caused by medial
coronoid disease.
Methods: This study included 90 dogs that were evaluated for the complaint of unilateral forelimb
lameness. All dogs were suspected of having an elbow problem for which orthopaedic
examination and radiographs showed inconclusive findings. Following a short sedation,
mepivacaine was injected intra-articularly to determine whether lameness was caused
by a suspected elbow problem. This effect was compared with the final diagnosis based
on computed tomography and arthroscopy.
Results: Out of 90 dogs, 78 (87%) dogs had an improvement of lameness after injection of the
local anaesthetic, which confirmed the elbow joint as the primary source of lameness.
A positive response was seen in all types of medial coronoid lesions. A false negative
result was observed in 12 dogs (13%).
Clinical relevance: Medial coronoid disease is represented by different types of pathologic lesions including
chondromalacia, fissures, fragments, and medial compartment disease. Diagnosis may
be difficult because of limited clinical or radiographic signs or a combination of
both. Intra-articular anaesthesia can be a helpful diagnostic tool to localize the
problem by eliminating pain and reducing lameness to a great extent in all types of
coronoid lesions.
Keywords
Intra-articular anaesthesia - dog - mepivacaine - medial coronoid disease - arthroscopy