Ultrasound assessment of hip joint osteoarthritis in the rabbit model.

Objective: The value of the rabbit as an animal model of human hip osteoarthritis and the emerging demand for generating feasible therapeutic approaches turns the development of an ultrasound-scanning protocol to monitor this musculoskeletal disorder in the rabbit of utmost importance to translational research under the One Medicine concept. Methods: The objectives were to describe an ultrasound-scanning protocol, comparing different ultrasound approaches to the hip joint in cadavers free from hip abnormalities and in vivo osteoarthritic joints of rabbits. Results: New Zealand male white rabbits were studied. Firstly, eleven 14-week-old cadavers free from hip abnormalities, euthanized for reasons unrelated to the present study, were studied. The ultrasound-scanning protocol included a ventral approach, with sagittal and transverse planes, and a dorsal approach with dorsal and transverse planes. The acetabulum, femoral head and neck, Joint capsule, synovium profile, and ligament teres were evaluated. Then, the ultrasound-scanning protocol was applied to five osteoarthritic hip joints of 20-weekold rabbits in vivo with surgically induced osteoarthritis in the left hip confirmed by computed tomography. Conclusion: The present study showed that the ultrasoundscanning protocol, employing various planes complementarily, enabled a complete and detailed evaluation of the hip joint sonoanatomy in rabbits, supporting the clinical application of ultrasound in this region. The ventral transverse plane allowed the identification of a greater number of joint structures. The applicability of the protocol developed in osteoarthritic joints was confirmed, granting the accurate identification of osseous and cartilaginous defects, offering added insight into monitoring osteoarthritis development, and instigating future therapeutic research, including ultrasound-guided intra-articular administrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]