The purpose of this study was to evaluate a new extracapsular surgical technique for the treatment of cranial cruciate ligament rupture in small breed dogs. Nine small breed dogs (seven females and two males) weighing < or = 15 kg were treated with biceps femoris muscle transposition (BFT). The duration of the BFT procedure was 20 min. Each patient underwent a standard clinical protocol and a questionnaire for the owners. Follow-up (at 1, 3, and 12 months postoperative) confirmed significant improvement in all patients, especially at 1 month postoperatively (p < 0.01) and again after complete stifle joint assessment at 3 months postoperatively. After 12 months, only two patients showed a slight increase in osteoarthritis. According to our results, BFT is a simple extracapsular surgical technique that can be used for the treatment of cranial cruciate ligament rupture in small breed dogs.
Animals ; Anterior Cruciate Ligament/*injuries/*surgery ; Dog Diseases/*surgery ; Dogs ; Female ; Male ; Muscle, Skeletal/*transplantation ; Questionnaires ; Rupture/veterinary ; Stifle/*surgery

Thirty-one dogs with patellar luxation (grades 2 and 3) were categorized into three groups. Group 1 (G.1; n = 12) had sodium hyaluronate (SHA) intra-articularly injected into the stifle joint that received surgery. Group 2 (G.2; n = 10) received SHA twice: first after surgery and then 1 week later. Group 3 (G.3; n = 9) served as a control, without injection. Blood was collected before injection and then once a week for 4 weeks after injection for evaluation of chondroitin sulfate (CS-WF6) and hyaluronan (HA). The results revealed significantly (p < 0.05) improved clinical scores by the end of week 4 in G.1 and G.2 relative to G.3; however, there was no significant difference between G.1 and G.2. There was a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in serum CS-WF6 levels beginning at week 2 in G.1 and G.2. At weeks 3 and 4, serum HA in G.1 and G.2 differed from that in G.3 (p < 0.05). No significant difference (p > 0.05) was observed in serum biomarkers between G.1 and G.2. In conclusion, intra-articular injection with SHA after joint surgery may improve homeostasis of the joint, retarding the process of OA.
Animals ; Blood Chemical Analysis/veterinary ; Chondroitin Sulfates/metabolism ; *Dogs ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/veterinary ; Female ; Hyaluronic Acid/*administration & dosage/metabolism ; Injections, Intra-Articular/veterinary ; Male ; Osteoarthritis, Knee/drug therapy/prevention & control/*veterinary ; Stifle/*surgery ; Viscosupplements/*administration & dosage