Magnetic resonance imaging study of the stifle joint of healthy domestic cats

Abstract

The objective of this study was to describe the normal appearance of the articular structures of the right stifle joint from one mature male cat of 3-year-old with a weight of 3 kilograms scanned via high-field MRI. In addition, two cadaver cats were used for gross dissections, and three cats were used for anatomical sections. Using a 1.5 Tesla magnet, Spin-echo (SE) T1-weighting, and Gradient-echo short tau inversion recovery (GE-STIR), T2-weighting pulse sequences were selected to generate sagittal, transverse, and dorsal planes. On anatomic dissections and sections all articular structures could be identified. The MRI images allowed us to observe the many anatomical structures of the cat stifle joint. Thus, the SE T1-weighted MR images provided good anatomic detail of this joint, whereas the GE-STIR T2-weighted MR pulse sequence was best for synovial cavities. Detailed information is provided that may be used as initial anatomic reference for interpretation of MR images of the cat stifle joint and in the diagnosis of disorders of this region.