EXPRESS: Development of an ultrasound-guided pericapsular knee desensitization technique in cats: an anatomical cadaveric study.

Ultrasound-guided pericapsular knee desensitization is feasible in cats using small volumes (0.1–0.2 ml) per nerve.

This cadaveric anatomical study describes the development of an ultrasound-guided pericapsular knee desensitization (PKD) technique in domestic cats, targeting the medial articular nerve (MAN), lateral articular nerve (LAN), and posterior articular nerve (PAN) — branches of the saphenous, common fibular, and tibial nerves, respectively. The study was conducted in two phases: Phase I involved ultrasonographic evaluation and gross dissection of six pelvic limbs from three cadavers to characterize nerve courses and identify sonographic landmarks. Phase II assessed injection accuracy in 16 limbs from eight cadavers using low-volume (0.1 ml) or high-volume (0.2 ml) dye per nerve. MAN and PAN injections were performed under ultrasound guidance via a single medial approach, while LAN injections were landmark-guided. The MAN was identified within the distal subsartorial canal alongside descending genicular vessels, the PAN adjacent to popliteal vessels, and the LAN near the fibular head and lateral gastrocnemius head. Overall injection success rates were 95.8% for the low-volume group and 87.5% for the high-volume group, with both volumes successfully staining target nerve trajectories and pericapsular compartments without intracapsular spread or significant infiltration of major motor nerves. These findings demonstrate that ultrasound-guided PKD is technically feasible in cats using small injectate volumes, providing an anatomical and procedural foundation for future clinical studies evaluating PKD for perioperative analgesia and chronic knee pain management in feline patients.

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