Knee joint ultrasonography of the ACLT rabbit experimental model of osteoarthritis: relevance and effectiveness in detecting meniscal lesions.
OBJECTIVE
To develop a protocol for rabbit knee joint ultrasonography (US); to grade ultrasonographically the meniscal injuries of the anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) rabbit model of osteoarthritis (OA); to assess with US the effectiveness of the ACLT; to compare final US with macroscopy for the evaluation of medial and lateral meniscal injuries depending on the age and weight when ACLT is performed.


METHODS
Twenty-two skeletally mature and adolescent New Zealand white rabbits were housed during the same period at the Institut Claude-Bourgelat, Lyon, France. Surgical ACLT was performed in the left knee of nine adolescent and five adult rabbits. Final US and macroscopic semi-quantitative grading of the meniscal injuries were compared 5 months after ACLT.


RESULTS
A standardised protocol was developed to evaluate the rabbit knee joint. US was performed in both control and ACLT knees. Normal and abnormal meniscal US appearances were described. A semi-quantitative scale to grade US meniscal injuries was created. Macroscopic and US total meniscal scores were significantly positively correlated (P<0.001, r=0.70). US detection of meniscal injuries was 92% sensitive and 87.5% specific compared to macroscopy. Positive and negative predictive values of US were, respectively, 92% and 87.5%. US detection of the ACLT effectiveness was 100% specific and 78.5% sensitive.


CONCLUSIONS
A significant relationship was found between ultrasonographic and macroscopic grading of meniscal injuries. US was both specific and sensitive in detecting meniscal lesions. We propose US as a non-invasive, non-expensive, in vivo imaging technique for preclinical studies in the ACLT rabbit OA model.
Boulocher
C
C
Université de Lyon, UR RTI2B, F-69003, France. c.boulocher@vet-lyon.fr
Duclos
M-E
ME
Arnault
F
F
Roualdes
O
O
Fau
D
D
Hartmann
D J
DJ
Roger
T
T
Vignon
E
E
Viguier
E
E
D000818:Animals; D016118:Anterior Cruciate Ligament / Q000601:surgery; D001169:Arthritis, Experimental; D008592:Menisci, Tibial / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D011817:Rabbits; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013264:Stifle / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D014463:Ultrasonography