Introduction: Pancarpal arthrodesis in dogs involves debridement of all articular cartilage to
the level of subchondral bone. Arthrotomy is the surgical approach used for cartilage
debridement but may increase postoperative complication rates due to damage to adjacent
soft tissues and blood supply. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility
and efficiency of arthroscopic debridement of the antebrachiocarpal (AC) joint compared
with arthrotomy.
Materials and Methods: Nine pairs of cadaveric canine thoracic limbs were randomly assigned to one of three
groups to undergo debridement of the AC joint using a rigid 1.9 mm 30 degrees arthroscope
(group 1), a flexible 1.9 mm 0 degrees arthroscope (group 2) or arthrotomy (group3).
The AC joint surfaces (collectively, the radius (R), radiocarpal (RC), ulna (U) and
ulnarcarpal (UC) bones) were photographed both pre- and poststaining with India ink
to evaluate for per cent debrided surface area (%DSA) and completeness of debridement
(%C).
Results: Analysis using a linear mixed model for repeated measures found that %DSA and %C
were not significantly different amongst procedure groups (p > 0.05). However, both %DSA and %C did significantly differ amongst bone surfaces
(p < 0.0001). While the %DSA did not significantly differ between the R and RC bones,
the U and UC bones differed from both R, RC, and each other (p < 0.0001).
Discussion/Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that arthroscopic debridement of the AC joint is both
feasible and comparable to the traditional arthrotomy in achieving cartilage debridement.
Clinical studies comparing arthroscopic debridement to arthrotomy in dogs undergoing
pancarpal arthrodesis are warranted.
Acknowledgment
Research grant support for this study was provided by Arthrex Vet, Inc. IIRR-01807
and the 2024 Summer Research Scholar Program for M.R.L. was supported by Purdue College
of Veterinary Medicine and Boehringer Ingelheim.
