🔍 Key Findings
- Needle arthroscopy (NA) had 95% sensitivity and 100% specificity for detecting medial meniscal tears, using standard arthroscopy (SA) as the gold standard.
- NA correctly identified medial meniscal status in 25/26 dogs, with one false negative (missed nondisplaced tear).
- NA had significantly shorter procedure time (8 ± 3 minutes) compared to SA (15 ± 9 minutes, P = .0041).
- Meniscal visibility was lower with NA than with SA across all horns (P < .01).
- Lateral meniscus probing was significantly more difficult with NA compared to SA (P = .0017).
- Lameness scores did not change significantly after NA, indicating low morbidity (P = .25).
- NA was successfully performed under sedation in most dogs, with some requiring minimal additional restraint.
- Single-use NA equipment may offer a rapid, minimally invasive diagnostic tool for preoperative meniscal assessment in select cases.
