Gundersen Katie, Millis Darryl, Zhu Xiaojuan
Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States.
Office of Information Technology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States.
Front Vet Sci. 2022 Jul 25;9:895567. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2022.895567. eCollection 2022.
The purpose of this study was to develop and test a quantitative stifle function score (SFS) in dogs with unilateral cranial cruciate ligament disease by combining clinical measures and functional tests. The objective of this study was to compare the proposed SFS to a symmetry index (SI) calculated from objective ground reaction forces (GRFs). We hypothesized that the SFS would have a strong correlation with SI.
Dogs with surgically and nonsurgically treated unilateral cranial cruciate ligament rupture and dogs with no known musculoskeletal problems were included in the study. Each dog was scored using the SFS and trotted across a force platform to obtain GRFs and calculate the SI, based on vertical GRFs. Fourteen items were included in the SFS: limb use at a walk, limb use at a trot, lameness at a walk, lameness at a trot, stair climbing, sit-to-stand, dancing, pain response, stifle effusion, thigh circumference/muscle atrophy, stifle extension, stifle flexion, and cranial drawer/tibial thrust, with each item scored based on previously determined criteria. A perfect SFS would receive a score of 100.
Twenty-seven dogs were included in the study: twenty-one with unilateral cranial cruciate ligament disease and six control dogs. The mean SFS was 71.5 out of 100. To further characterize the association between SFS and SI the degree of gait asymmetry using SI was classified as <5%, 5.1-10%, 10.1-20%, 20.1-25%, and >25% difference between the pelvic limbs for all dogs. The mean SFS for each of the five categories were 97.8, 85.2, 65.4, 63, and 56.4, respectively. Correlation of SI and SFS was -0.863 ( < 0.0001). All of the individuals evaluated tests in the score were significantly correlated with SI except for pain response and stifle flexion. The SFS is in strong agreement with the SI, as confirmed by Bland-Altman analysis.
The SFS had a significant correlation and agreement with the SI calculated from GRFs. This SFS may be a useful, simple, and inexpensive tool to use in a clinical environment to monitor progression during the rehabilitation and recovery process following unilateral cranial cruciate ligament rupture.
本研究旨在通过结合临床测量和功能测试，开发并测试一种用于单侧颅侧十字韧带疾病犬的定量 stifle 功能评分（SFS）。本研究的目的是将提议的 SFS 与根据客观地面反作用力（GRF）计算得出的对称指数（SI）进行比较。我们假设 SFS 与 SI 具有强相关性。
本研究纳入了接受手术和非手术治疗的单侧颅侧十字韧带断裂的犬以及无已知肌肉骨骼问题的犬。每只犬使用 SFS 进行评分，并小跑通过一个测力平台以获取 GRF 并计算 SI，该计算基于垂直 GRF。SFS 包含 14 项内容：行走时的肢体使用、小跑时的肢体使用、行走时的跛行、小跑时的跛行、爬楼梯、从坐姿到站姿、跳跃、疼痛反应、stifle 积液、大腿周长/肌肉萎缩、stifle 伸展、stifle 屈曲以及颅侧抽屉试验/胫骨推力试验，每项内容均根据先前确定的标准进行评分。完美的 SFS 得分为 100 分。
本研究共纳入 27 只犬：21 只患有单侧颅侧十字韧带疾病，6 只为对照犬。SFS 的平均得分为 71.5 分（满分 100 分）。为进一步描述 SFS 与 SI 之间的关联，将所有犬骨盆肢体之间使用 SI 计算的步态不对称程度分为<5%、5.1 - 10%、10.1 - 20%、20.1 - 25%和>25%差异五个类别。五个类别的平均 SFS 分别为 97.8、85.2、65.4、63 和 56.4。SI 与 SFS 的相关性为 -0.863（<0.0001）。除疼痛反应和 stifle 屈曲外，评分中评估的所有个体测试均与 SI 显著相关。Bland - Altman 分析证实，SFS 与 SI 高度一致。
SFS 与根据 GRF 计算得出的 SI 具有显著相关性和一致性。这种 SFS 可能是一种在临床环境中有用、简单且经济的工具，可用于监测单侧颅侧十字韧带断裂后康复和恢复过程中的进展情况。
