Arthroscopic removal of a fragment from an intercondylar eminence fracture of the tibia in a two-year-old horse.
A 2-year-old Standardbred colt was admitted because of lameness of the left hind limb. Physical examination revealed marked effusion of the left femoropatellar and femorotibial joints and grade IV/V lameness of the left hind limb. Radiography of the left stifle revealed a complete fracture of the medial tubercle of the intercondylar eminence of the tibia. Arthroscopy was used to provide diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic information. A cranial approach to the medial compartment of the femorotibial joint was performed. Manipulation of the medial tubercle revealed it to be unstable, but a direct view of the fracture was obscured by the cranial cruciate ligament. The fracture fragment was removed, and visual inspection revealed approximately half of the cranial cruciate ligament at its insertion on the intercondylar eminence to be compromised. Fourteen months after surgery, the horse had trained and had raced without lameness. Accurate evaluation of the intra-articular soft-tissue structures of the stifle is important because ligamentous and/or meniscal injuries often are the limiting factors in determining the potential for a successful outcome and future athletic performance.