Abstract
Introduction Comparative biomechanical studies between fibrous and fibrocartilaginous ligaments are rare. Structural differences between these tissues are well documented in the literature [Carvalho, 1995; Vogel, 2004]. As ligamentous structure relates to function and therefore mechanical properties, it is logical to expect mechanical differences between fibrous and fibrocartilaginous ligaments. The porcine anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is similar to that of the human [Fuss, 1991] and is fibrous in nature [Dienst, 2002]. The kangaroo ACL is atypical and predominantly fibrocartilaginous in nature [Willmott, 1996]. Therefore this study aims to compare the biomechanical properties between the fibrous and fibrocartilaginous ACLs using porcine and kangaroo models respectively. The significance of this comparison lies in the potential application of this knowledge to ACL reconstruction grafting material following the recent success of the porcine patella tendon xenograft for the human ACL [Stone, 2007].
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