Evaluation of the Biocompatibility and Graft Integration Following Ligamentoplasty or Augmentation. Experimental study on rabbits

Several techniques are used to reconstruct the anterior cruciate ligaments (ACL) by using different grafts in order to obtain a new ligament with properties closest to those of the healthy one. Our aim was a faster graft harvesting and the integration into the bone tissue; we have studied the efficiency of the techniques that preserve the torn ligament end vs. the techniques that used a graft harvested from the patient. The ligamentoplasty studies performed on rabbits reveal a satisfactorily cost-efficiency ratio, this being the main reason for choosing this model. We wanted to study the importance of preserving one edge of the torn ligament as a base of integration for the new graft and compare the appearance of the blood vessels and the neoformation tissue in the two study groups. For the first study group we performed an implantation technique that uses a complete new graft harvested from the same animal and for the second group we used the technique which preserves the torn ligament. All the surgical procedures were conducted on the NZW rabbits. All ligamentoplasty reconstruction surgical interventions were conducted on the left limb and the graft was harvested from the extensori digitorum longi located on the lateral side of the rabbit�s thigh. Twelve rabbits in each group were operated upon using the two techniques and the results were compared. No major complications were noted, the long term results were similar, and with no significant differences as far as the ligament integration was concerned. The study group in which the ligament end was preserved showed a more rapid integration. Our study suggests that keeping a longer ligament end correlates with early graft integration.