Canine Elbow Dysplasia

Elbow dysplasia in canines is a poorly understood disease process comprised of different degrees of cartilage damage and secondary osteoarthritis in the elbow joint.  

Developmental joint incongruity is currently believed to be a potential cause for certain regions of the joint surface to degenerate under physiological loads.  The lesions are often complex and variable but ultimately result in cartilage and subchondral bone fragmentation and erosion.  The associated joint capsular distention and osteoarthritis is probably a large contributor to the clinical signs.  Although loose fragments and cartilage erosion are removed and cleaned up, the challenge is the continued management of osteoarthritis.  

Although the definitive management with surgery or medical management is still not well understood, most surgeons consider arthroscopic exploration to provide minimally invasive assessment of the disease extent, removal of fragments, and the ability to clean up damaged cartilage.  

In clinically and radiographically mild cases, arthroscopic treatment offers at least a 50% chance of improvement in clinical signs and in some cases no further need for anti-inflammatory therapy.  

In severe cases, the prognosis for complete resolution is guarded, however clean up of the joint helps in assessing the severity of the disease and long term management of osteoarthritis.