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Reconstruction of the cranial cruciate ligament using a semitendinosus autograft in a lapine model
Author(s) -
Wei Feng,
Haut Donahue Tammy,
Haut Roger C.,
Porcel Sanchez Maria Dolores,
Dejardin Loic M.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
veterinary surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.652
H-Index - 79
eISSN - 1532-950X
pISSN - 0161-3499
DOI - 10.1111/vsu.13643
Subject(s) - medicine , arthrotomy , surgery , knee joint , cruciate ligament , anterior cruciate ligament , transplantation , joint capsule , barbed suture , osteoarthritis , ligament , arthroscopy , fibrous joint , alternative medicine , pathology
Objective To clarify and improve a cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL) deficient stifle stabilization technique using a semitendinosus tendon (ST) autograft fixed with an interference fit screw (IFS) in a closed‐joint trauma lapine osteoarthritis (OA) model. Study Design Experimental OA model. Animals Forty‐one Flemish Giant rabbits. Methods Following arthrotomy of traumatized lapine stifles, the ST insertion on the tibial plateau was exposed and the ST was transected near its origin. The graft was passed through tibial and femoral tunnels, manually tensioned and then secured in place with a custom IFS and periosteal sutures. Drawer was manually assessed during and immediately after surgery intraoperatively. Upon euthanasia, joint laxity was measured at 2, 10, or 22 weeks postoperatively and compared to that of the contralateral, intact stifles and stifles with a surgically transected CrCL. Results Minimal postoperative drawer was present in 34% of the rabbits and potentially correlated with meniscal injury and subsequent meniscectomy. CrCL reconstruction significantly reduced joint laxity to a level (3.6 ± 1.6 mm) similar to that (2.7 ± 0.8 mm) in contralateral intact stifles. Conclusion Surgical replacement of a traumatically injured CrCL using a ST autograft fixed with an IFS replicated a common human surgical technique and effectively restored joint stability in the short, medium, and long terms of the study. Clinical Significance The study provides researchers a useful, clinically relevant, post‐traumatic CrCL deficient rabbit model for the study of OA and investigations of interventions to mitigate or prevent long‐term joint degeneration.