Intra-articular replacement of a ruptured cranial cruciate ligament using the Mini-TightRope in the dog: a preliminary study

BACKGROUND: The TightRope System is a device developed to provide extracapsular stabilization of the cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) rupture in canine stifles. I was then also employed for the extra-articular treatment of shoulder instability and for the intra-articular treatment of hip luxation in dogs and cats. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the feasibility of the Mini-TightRope (mTR) System for the intra-articular treatment of CCL rupture in small breed dogs. METHODS: A cadaveric canine model was used to record the steps of the surgical procedure. Five client owned dogs weighing from 8 to 10 kg and from 2 to 12 years of age were enrolled in the prospective study in which the mTR device was implanted in the stifle joint to replace the ruptured CCL. The dogs were graded using the Bologna Healing Stifle Injury Index (BHSII) and radiographic osteoarthritis (OA) scores. RESULTS: The outcomes obtained at the time of the surgery (T0) and for the following 12 months (T12) showed an improvement in the functional parameters (BHSII from a median of 74.3 [range, 58.1–82.4] at T0 to 95.6 [range, 94.1–99.3] at T12]). The OA did not change in 3 dogs and increased by only 1 point in 2 dogs. CONCLUSIONS: In this preliminary study, the mTR was a successful and repeatable intra-articular surgical procedure for all dogs. Additional studies related to the clinical application of the technique in medium-large dogs should be encouraged.