Notchplasty for Treatment of Impingement of the Cranial Cruciate Ligament on Osteophyte in a Cat

A 3-year-old, 5.6 kg, castrated, male, British short hair cat presented with subtle weight-bearing lameness of the right hindlimb when walking suddenly after rest. On physical examination, the patient experienced pain when the right stifle joint was hyperextended. There was no clinical improvement of lameness or pain of the right hindlimb, despite the administration of analgesic drugs for one week. During diagnostic arthroscopy of right stifle, mild synovitis and cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) impingement on osteophyte of the intercondylar notch (ICN) was observed. Computed tomography was applied to determine an accurate surgical plan. Arthroscopy-assisted notchplasty, including removal of the osteophyte, was performed using chisel and arthroscopic burr. At 4 weeks postoperatively, the frequency of subtle weight-bearing lameness of the right hindlimb was significantly reduced. At 6 months postoperatively, the patient exhibited normal ambulation without recurrence of lameness. Impingement of CCL may cause subtle lameness and pain. Arthroscopy can be a good diagnostic tool for early-stage CCL disease. Notchplasty can be recommended for osteophyte-induced CCL disease.