Long-term arthroscopic assessment of intra-articular allografts for treatment of spontaneous cranial cruciate ligament rupture in the dog

Objective: To assess the 12-month survival of intra-articular, decellularized allografts for the treatment of cranial cruciate ligament disease (CCLD) in dogs. Study design: Prospective case series. Animals: Twenty client-owned dogs with spontaneous CCL rupture. Methods: Affected stifles were treated solely by implantation of an intra-articular, decellularized, deep digital flexor tendon allograft. Functional outcome was evaluated at baseline and at 6 and 12 months after surgery with the Liverpool Osteoarthritis for Dogs questionnaire and force platform gait analysis. At 12 months after surgery, dogs underwent arthroscopy to visually assess the allografts. Results: Scores on owner questionnaires (improved 62.5%; P =.005) and ground reaction forces (improved 34.4%; P =.017) were improved in all dogs 12 months after surgery. Dogs with an intact graft (IG) were more likely to have a successful outcome compared with dogs with a torn graft (P =.011). According to arthroscopy, 45% of grafts seemed to survive at 12 months after surgery. Conclusion: About half of intra-articular allografts survived 12 months after implantation in CCL-deficient stifles. Dogs with IG had successful outcomes at 12 months after surgery according to assessment by force platform gait analysis. Clinical significance: These results preclude immediate clinical application but provide evidence to justify further investigation of intra-articular grafts as a repair option for CLLD.