It’s Better Medicine: Needleview Arthro (Small Animal)

The needleoscopy™ modality and NeedleView^® Arthroscope Suite has applications for the small/companion animal market as well, including exploratories and delivery of intra-articular therapeutic agents into the elbow, hip, and shoulder.

By utilizing the NeedleView^® Terminal and camera with Biovision’s 0.9mm flexible scopes, additional small/companion animal applications include:

• Rhinoscopy
• Urethroscopy
• Fistula tracks
• Video intubation
• Cystoscopy of male dogs

The flexible scopes are available separately in 300mm and 760mm working lengths for use in all natural orifices. They are also suitable for use in exotics and lab animal science.

Testimonials

According to Paul Shealy, MS, DVM, MS, DACVS, Veterinary Specialists of the Southeast (Savannah, GA):

“The 1.2mm NeedleView^® arthroscope by Biovision is a breakthrough in technology, providing practitioners more potential expansion into joint therapy with a compact and portable, all-digital arthroscopic suite. The benefits of immediate enhanced visualization allow for clear evidence of joint penetration as well as pathology, as well as direct intra-articular treatment, with obvious benefits over radiographic, ultrasonographic, or advanced imaging modalities.”

From Chad Devitt, DVM, MS, DACVS, pioneer of NeedleView^® techniques in small/companion animals:

“We use the NeedleView^® an average of 2-3 times per month, depending on our caseload. I’ve used it primarily for diagnostics in dogs that present with lameness, stiffness, or other symptoms of arthritis. X-ray and CT may not demonstrate findings – for example, in cases of fragmented medial coronoid process. The NeedleView^® scope is helpful to decide if the dog would benefit from debridement. The benefits to NeedleView^® include that it’s less costly to perform than full-blown arthroscopy. We can generally do it with heavy sedation and a local block, so we avoid the risks and costs of general anesthesia. We also like that we can perform NeedleView^® diagnostic procedures on a prep table; this removes the need for OR time and its associated costs, plus it means that clients can usually watch the procedure.”

In Their Own Words: Canine Practitioners

• NeedleView^® Pioneer: Chad Devitt, DVM, MS, DACVS, VRCC Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Hospital (Englewood, CO)
• NeedleView^® User: Mitch Robbins, DVM, DACVS, Veterinary Specialty Center (Buffalo Grove, IL)
• NeedleView^® Researcher: Sherman Canapp, DVM, DACVS, DACVSRM, Veterinary Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Group (Annapolis Junction, MD)

Clinical Research

1. Pfeil D, Megliola S, Horstmann C, Tan D, Glassman M. Comparison of classic and needle arthroscopy to diagnose canine medial shoulder instability: 31 cases. Can Vet J. 2021 May ;62(5):461-468.

Procedure Videos