The clinical outcome of three procedures for extraarticular stabilization of cranial cruciate ligament injuries in dogs

Cornel Igna,Bogdan Sicoe,Roxana Dascălu,Daniel Bumb,Cristian Zaha,Larisa Schüszler

doi:10.3906/vet-1904-40

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term outcomes in dogs with cranial cruciate ligament injury in which the stifle was stabilized with lateral suture stabilization, lateral suture stabilization-modified, or Securos lateral bone anchor tibial suture and monofilament nylon sutures placed at quasi-isometric points of the stifle. It is a retrospective study comprising a sample population of 49 client-owned dogs. Medical records from 2014?2016 were reviewed to identify dogs that had a cranial cruciate ligament rupture in which the stifle was stabilized using one of the aforementioned methods. The overall complication rate was 16.3% and the documented complication rate requiring implant removal was 0%. Owners reported full or acceptable function in 96% of cases. There were no significant statistical differences between the 3 techniques. Stabilization of cranial cruciate ligament-deficient stifles in dogs with lateral suture stabilization, lateral suture stabilization-modified, or Securos lateral bone anchor tibial suture is reliable with acceptable complication rates. The 3 procedures tested may be appropriate in medium-sized nonathletic dogs whose owners have limited budgets.

Highlights

For the treatment of cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) injuries in dogs, extraarticular suture stabilization includes lateral suture stabilization (LSS) [1,2,3] and another variant that utilizes bone anchors and tunnels to fix the prosthetic suture across the stifle.Lateral bone anchor tibial suture (LBATS) represents the development of extraarticular stabilization techniques consisting of in vitro testing of several types of suture anchors [4,5,6,7]
The most frequently used sutures are made of monofilament nylon leader line (MNL) that has suitable mechanical properties for tensions within the stifle [16,17,18,19] and in vitro testing showed that stifle stability was maintained more effectively by crimped nylon loops when compared to knotted loops [20,21]
A complete CCL tear occurred in 87% of the cases, and a partial tear occurred in 13% of cases

Summary

Introduction

For the treatment of cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) injuries in dogs, extraarticular suture stabilization includes lateral suture stabilization (LSS) [1,2,3] and another variant that utilizes bone anchors and tunnels to fix the prosthetic suture across the stifle. Lateral bone anchor tibial suture (LBATS) represents the development of extraarticular stabilization techniques consisting of in vitro testing of several types of suture anchors [4,5,6,7]. The focus has been on isometric points to maximize stability and reduce implant failure [22,23,24,25,26]. True isometry has not been achieved in any study; “quasi-isometric points” is a more appropriate term [27]

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Conclusion