GRH Musculoskeletal System

The BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Musculoskeletal Disorders, second edition is the newest addition to the ever popular BSAVA manual series. Editors Gareth Arthurs, Gordon Brown and Rob Pettitt highlight what’s new.

Muscle disease can affect skeletal (striated), cardiac and, more rarely, smooth muscle. It can be primary or secondary to other systemic disorders but can be difficult to recognize clinically owing to its non-specific signs. Even when muscle disease is supected, the appropriate diagnostic work-up is often poorly understood and test results can be misinterpreted. This chapter discusses clinical sign sof muscle disorders, laboratory evaluation of muscle disorders and tests used in the investigation of skeletal (striated) muscle disorders. Case examples are included.

Ultrasonography is an established method for the detection of muscle and tendon pathology. The ultrasonographic evaluation of joints and associated ligaments can also be performed in dogs and cats but is more technically challenging. Indications for ultrasonographic examination of musculoskeletal structures include: atrophy of muscle; palpable thickening of a tendon; abnormal range of movement of a joint; pain on manipulation of a joint; and discharging sinus tract. This chapter explains the value of ultrasonography compared with radiography and advanced imaging techniques. Imaging technique for muscles, tendons, bones, articular ligaments and joints is presented.