Determination of Graft Forces for Cranial Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in the Dog

Summary

A test apparatus that allowed the stifle to move in five degrees of freedom was used to determine the effect of graft location, graft preload, and flexion angle at the time of graft fixation on the tensile graft forces experienced by a replacement graft material used to simulate reconstruction of the cranial cruciate ligament deficient stifle. Two graft locations (tibial insertion site of the patellar ligament and tibial insertion site of the cranial cruciate ligament), two graft preloads (5 N and 20 N), and three flexion angles at the time of graft fixation (15°, 30° and 90°) were examined. The tibial insertion site and preload did not have as great an effect on graft force as did the flexion angle of the limb at time of graft fixation. Graft forces were highest when reconstructions were performed with the limb in 90° of flexion (ρ <0.0001). This study supports the notion that intracapsular grafts should be fixed with the limb in a normal standing angle.

A five degree of freedom test apparatus was used to evaluate the effect of graft location, graft preload, and limb flexion angle at time of graft fixation on reconstructions of the cranial cruciate ligament deficient stifle. Our results suggest that intracapsular grafts should not be fixed with the limb in 90° of flexion, but in a normal standing angle.

Keywords

Cranial cruciate ligament - graft forces - graft preload - cranial cruciate ligament reconstruction - biomechanical properties - dog

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