A 3-dimensionally braided silk/polyester graft with H-button fixation offers a novel and stable method for intra-articular cranial cruciate ligament reconstruction in dogs
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Objective: To create an IA reconstruction system resembling the natural cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) to stabilize CCL-deficient stifles in dogs and to assess the stability and biomechanical properties of the intact canine stifle versus the CCL-deficient stifle stabilized with the proposed reconstruction system. Methods: The study was conducted over a 1-year period (March 2022 to March 2023) on 21 limbs from 14 skeletally mature mixed-breed cadaveric dogs with normal limbs. Cranial cruciate ligament inclination was measured in 21 stifles. Tensile strength and elongation were tested for 7 intact CCLs. Cranial cruciate ligament dimensions and volume were measured in 14 stifles. Seven CCL-severed stifles were stabilized with 3-D-braided silk/polyester (50:50), 2 H-buttons, and FiberWire and tested biomechanically. The graft was studied micromorphologically and biomechanically. Results: Mean CCL dimensions were 7.5 ± 1.3 mm wide, 2.3 ± 0.5 mm thick, and 13.14 ± 2.9 mm long, with a volume of 250.4 ± 107.8 mm3. Mean ± SD tensile strength of the 3-D-braided silk-polyethylene terephthalate (S-PET) before (raw S-PET; 645.8 ± 61.1 N) and after (implanted S-PET; 952.6 ± 126.2 N) reconstruction was greater than that for intact CCL (518.4 ± 97.5 N). Mean elongation at break differed among groups: implanted S-PET (90 ± 19.79%), raw S-PET (18.1 ± 2.7%), and intact CCL (49.3 ± 5.3%). Cranial cruciate ligament dogs' age and body weight strongly correlated with CCL volume. Conclusions: IA reconstruction using 3-D-braided S-PET and H-buttons effectively stabilized CCL-deficient canine stifles ex vivo. Clinical Relevance: This technique offers an alternative to extracapsular or osteotomy-based procedures and warrants further in vivo evaluation of long-term outcomes.
Language: English
Subfield: Small Animals
Field: Veterinary
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4415584617
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