Complete Cranial Cruciate Rupture In A 9-Year-Old FS Labrador Retriever: Our Case Of the Month 2021

Sometimes you zig when you should have zagged. A lovely 9-year-old labrador retriever ends up in the operating suite of Dr. Brian Barnes, owner of Westview Veterinary Hospital after snapping her cruciate ligament in pursuit of a ball. These beautiful ultrasound images provided by Dr. Barnes were expertly interpreted by Sebastian Jawinski, German Boarded Specialist for Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging. Dr. Barnes earns extra gold stars for providing us with a sweet intraoperative video.

History

A 9-year-old female spayed labrador retriever was presented for ruptured CCL in the left stifle after chasing a ball. Upon physical manipulation the joint was found to be very unstable and it had a positive cranial drawer on CTT (cranial tibial translation). TTA (tibial tuberosity advancement) surgery scheduled.

DX

Complete rupture of the CCL with mild joint effusion, synovial thickening and suspected traumatic intraarticular hematoma. Suspected mild degeneration of the lateral meniscus without fissure/rupture. Mild exostosis of the recess/groove of the extensor digital longus.

Outcome

The sonographic findings are pathognomonic for a complete rupture of the CCL. I suspect a traumatic intraarticular hematoma which would match with the acute onset/reported history. Damage of the collateral ligaments and the menisci is not obvious. The mildly inhomogeneous texture of the lateral meniscus is most probably consistent with degenerative changes on a microscopic level and not of clinical relevance.