A cranial intercondylar arthroscopic approach to the caudal medial femorotibial joint of the horse.

Authors: Muurlink T, Walmsley J, Young D, Whitton C

Journal: Equine veterinary journal

DOI: 10.2746/042516408x347042 PubMed: 19301575Log in to save

Summary

# Editorial Summary: Cranial Intercondylar Arthroscopic Approach to the Caudal Medial Femorotibial Joint Whilst arthroscopy has become the gold standard for investigating stifle lameness, conventional cranial and caudal portal approaches leave significant blind spots, particularly along the axial (weight-bearing) surface of the medial femorotibial joint where meniscal and cartilage pathology commonly develops. Muurlink and colleagues (2009) developed and validated a novel cranial intercondylar arthroscopic portal to improve visualisation of these previously inaccessible regions, testing the technique on equine cadaver limbs with detailed anatomical documentation. The new approach successfully provided direct access to the axial medial femorotibial joint without requiring additional portals or contortionate instrument positioning, enabling comprehensive assessment of structures routinely missed by standard techniques. For practitioners managing suspected meniscal tears, axial cartilage lesions or other caudal medial compartment pathology, this refinement offers the potential for more accurate diagnosis and targeted therapeutic intervention, ultimately reducing the number of horses with undiagnosed stifle pain and improving treatment outcomes where arthroscopic debridement is indicated.

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Practical Takeaways

•This technique expands diagnostic capability for horses with stifle pain that may have been previously undiagnosed using conventional arthroscopic approaches
•Veterinarians treating equine stifle lameness now have access to a method for examining the medial joint structures more completely, potentially improving surgical outcomes
•Consider referral for advanced arthroscopic assessment when conventional stifle arthroscopy fails to identify a lesion in a lame horse

Key Findings

•Current arthroscopic approaches cannot achieve complete examination of the axial aspect of the medial femorotibial joint
•A new cranial intercondylar arthroscopic approach is described to access previously inaccessible regions of the caudal medial femorotibial joint
•Arthroscopy remains the primary investigation and treatment modality for stifle pathology in horses despite limitations of conventional approaches

Conditions Studied

stifle painmedial femorotibial joint pathology

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