ORTHOPAEDIC SURGERY
Northwest Specialist Vet Is One Of Ireland’s Only Veterinary Clinics To Offer Minimally-Invasive Arthroscopy Services For Pets
ARTHROSCOPY
Arthroscopy is a surgical procedure commonly used in humans to diagnose and treat joint problems, but with innovations in veterinary medicine, this treatment is now available to pets of all kinds. Northwest Specialist Vet provides professional and specialist arthroscopy services for pets from our Derry specialist veterinary clinic. This is a minimally invasive procedures designed to treat and diagnose a wide range of joint issues in animals and is more accurate and easier than traditional diagnostics.
The degree of trauma to the joint is much more with arthrotomy, the traditional manner of joint treatment and diagnosis. Surprisingly, even with arthrotomy, the visualisation of all joint compartments was still difficult due to the tight spaces and inaccessible spaces of some joints. Arthroscopy solves this issue and offers better diagnosis opportunities.
How Arthroscopy Works
Arthroscopy works by inserting a very small rigid camera, also called a scope, with a very bright light into the body to inspect the joints. This is inserted using a very small incision on the skin. As this happens internally, joints can be inspected easier than they could if inspected using arthrotomy.
After the procedure, the image is enlarged and put up on a monitor to allow for closer examination. The scope is inserted through a stab incision and only takes one stitch to close up afterward, so the skin trauma is minimal. The most common joints that use arthroscopy in dogs are the shoulder joints, elbow joints, stifle (knee) joints, and the hips. Arthroscopy is considered the gold standard for diagnostic procedures of the joints and is fantastic for diagnosing soft tissue injuries such as biceps tenosynovitis, elbow incongruently, and other soft tissue or cartilage issues.