If the lesion is large, an irregular subchondral bone defect or flattening of the articular surface of the medial condyle may be visible on the lateral view radiograph. Secondary, degenerative changes are usually present in dogs seven months of age and older. Radiographs of a dog's elbow affected with osteochondritis dissecans. These are mild degenerative changes along the medial aspect of the elbow. Approach to the elbow using an osteotomy of the medial epicondyle to excise and debride an ostochondritis disecans lesion.
Treatment involves excision of the cartilage flap and curettage of the subjacent subchondral bed.
Some veterinary surgeons are now treating these lesions with arthroscopy. Arthroscopy allows a greater extent of the joint to be evaluated with the advantage of magnification. While the immediate postoperative morbidity is probably less with arthroscopy than arthrotomy, the long-term functional results are probably similar. Several surgical approaches have been described for approaching the medial compartment of the elbow. A recent study performed using cadaver limbs evaluated articular cartilage exposure and immediate postoperative stability afforded by three described approaches to the medial compartment of the elbow, an osteotomy of the medial epicondyle, a longitudinal myotomy of the flexor carpi radialis muscle, and a desmotomy of the medial collateral ligament which included a tenotomy of the pronator teres muscle.