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.
Allografts Animals