A First: Total Knee Replacement in a Cat

Today, January 26, 2012, surgeons at College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University are busy at work in a first-of-its-kind surgery - a total knee replacement in a cat. This surgical team also pioneered osseointegrated (live bone growing into a surgical implant) prosthetic limbs in dogs and cats, but this is the first joint replacement surgery in a cat.

The patient, a 10-year old orange tabby named Cyrano, was treated for bone cancer (osteosarcoma) last year and is now in remission. Cyrano is a large 20-pound cat with bones weakened by cancer. This surgery required the expertise of both the veterinary surgical team as well as the College of Engineering and independent implant manufacturers to create a joint that would work for a cat.

Cyrano's owner, Sandy Lerner, did not feel that amputation of the affected leg was the ideal option for her cat who had just made it through bone cancer. Instead, she found the team of orthopedic surgeon Dr. Denis Marcellin-Little and industrial and systems engineer Dr. Ola Harrysson at NC State to engineer the first ever feline knee joint.

"Although total knee replacements in dogs are increasingly common, a cat poses some additional challenges, particularly regarding the size of the implant," orthopedic surgeon Dr. Denis Marcellin-Little says. "Additionally, Cyrano's existing leg bones were weakened by the cancer, so we must take care to be sure that the implant does not place undue stress on the remaining bone."

According to Marcellin-Little, if all goes as planned, Cyrano should be walking on all fours within a week, but will need three months to fully recuperate after the joint replacement.

Update 1/30/12: Post-op radiographs of Cyrano's knee

Learn More About This Case:

• Cyrano, the Cat Receives Total Knee Replacement at NC State University
• A New Knee for Cyrano: NC State CVM Surgery is First True Total Knee Replacement for a Cat

More About Prosethetic Limb Surgeries at NC State CVM:

• Prosthetic Limbs For Dogs and Cats
• Cassidy the Dog with a Prosthetic Limb
• Oscar the Cat Fitted With Two Prosthetic Limbs
  

Photo: Artificial knee joint for a cat / College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University

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