🔍 Key Findings
- Feline hip arthroscopy using a supratrochanteric lateral portal was feasible in all cadaveric hips studied.
- All relevant intra-articular structures (femoral head, acetabulum, round ligament, joint capsule, transverse acetabular ligament, dorsal acetabular rim) were consistently visualized.
- Optimal limb positioning (neutral abduction, 90° extension) significantly aided joint distraction and visualization.
- Minor iatrogenic cartilage injury (ICI) occurred in all hips, typically partial-thickness abrasions; one hip had a full-thickness lesion.
- Portal placement did not damage the sciatic nerve or caudal gluteal artery, with a mean distance of 4.3 ± 2 mm between the cannula and nerve.
- Probe use improved visualization of the dorsal joint capsule and dorsal acetabular rim, though not essential.
- Joint evaluation was also successful in hips with DJD, suggesting technique feasibility even in diseased joints.
- Muscle trauma was minimal, with only mild impingement in a few specimens and no gross nerve or vessel injury.
