Abstract
Background:The predictable outcome of the anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) canine model, and the similarity to naturally occurring osteoarthritis (OA) in humans, provide a translatable method for studying OA. Still, evidence of direct meniscus-induced cartilaginous damage has not been identified, and gross-anatomical blinded scoring of early-stage OA has not been performed.Objective:A gross anatomical observation and statistical analysis of OA progression to determine meniscus induced cartilaginous damage, to measure the macroscopic progression of OA, and to address matters involving arthroscopic and surgical procedures of the knee.Method:Unblinded assessment and blinded scoring of meniscal, tibial, femoral, and patellar damage were performed for control and at four time points following unilateral ACLT: 3-week (N=4), 8-week (N=4), 12-week (N=5), and 25-week (N=4). Mixed-model statistics illustrates damage (score) progression; Wilcoxon rank-sum tests compared time-point scores; and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests compared ACLT and contralateral scores, and meniscus and tibia scores.Result:Damage was manifest first on the posterior aspect of the medial meniscus and subsequently on the tibia and femur, implying meniscal damage can precede, coincide with, and aggravate cartilage damage. Damage extent varied chronologically and was dependent upon the joint component. Meniscal damage was evident at 3 weeks and progressed through 25-weeks. Meniscal loose bodies corresponded to tibial cartilage damage location and extent through 12 weeks, followed by cartilage repair activity after complete meniscal degeneration.Conclusion:This study provides additional information for understanding OA progression, identifying OA biomarkers, and arthroscopic and meniscectomy procedures.
Highlights
Knee osteoarthritis (OA) commonly occurs in humans and animals, and while primary OA is of unknown etiology, the consequence of surgically induced cruciate ligament insufficiency is the reliable development of OA
Later events may be difficult to assess due to hypertrophic repair activity that frequently occurs in canine
One 12-week canine presented with only minor damage to the anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) and contralateral sides
Summary
Knee osteoarthritis (OA) commonly occurs in humans and animals, and while primary OA is of unknown etiology, the consequence of surgically induced cruciate ligament insufficiency is the reliable development of OA. The canine ACLT model provides opportunities to study the early progression of joint damage and repair [1 - 3] induced through mechanical instability, which progresses quite as in humans [4, 5]. Even with the advent of arthroscopy, the ability to clinically assess cartilage surfaces over time, in the early natural history of OA, is limited by ethical and practical considerations To overcome this issue, integer-based scoring provides an index of the complex spectra of tissue damages, which can be used to classify OA progression. The predictable outcome of the anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) canine model, and the similarity to naturally occurring osteoarthritis (OA) in humans, provide a translatable method for studying OA. Evidence of direct meniscus-induced cartilaginous damage has not been identified, and gross-anatomical blinded scoring of early-stage OA has not been performed
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