Biomechanical evaluation of bovine stifles stabilized with an innovative braided superelastic nitinol prosthesis after transection of the cranial cruciate ligament

Objective To determine the stability bovine stifles stabilized with nylon or nitinol superelastic prostheses after transection of the cranial cruciate ligament (CCL). Study design Ex vivo study. Sample population Stifles (n = 15) harvested from adult bovine cadavers. Methods The stifles were randomly assigned pairwise to a ligament reconstruction technique (n = 5): (1) and (2) Hamilton's technique using a prosthesis made of 24 nitinol strands (0.39 mm) braided at 40°or single 600‐lb test nylon implant, and (3) nitinol prosthesis placed in femoral and tibial bone tunnels (bone‐to‐bone). Craniocaudal tibial translation at ±2000 N was applied to the tibia, and mediolateral angular displacement via measured under torsional tibial loading at ±60 Nm on three occasions: intact CCL, transected, and stabilized. Outcomes were evaluated with a mixed effect linear model for repeated measures. Results Bone‐to‐bone using nitinol was the only repair that decreased tibial translation after CCL transection (p = .001) with a 23% change magnitude compared with intact CCL. Hamilton was the only stabilization reestablishing angular displacement, similar to intact CCL (p = .109 and .134 for nitinol and nylon). Bone‐to‐bone nitinol stabilization decreased angular displacement after CCL‐transection with an 8% change magnitude (p = .040) without returning to normal values. Conclusion CCL replacement with nylon did restore joint stability. Nitinol prostheses passed through single femoral and tibial bone tunnels (bone‐to‐bone) were the only techniques reducing tibial translation. Clinical significance/impact Bone‐to‐bone stabilization with a nitinol prosthesis may be considered as an alternative to nylon for CCL replacement in cattle. These results provide evidence to justify clinical evaluation in cattle undergoing CCL replacement.