Extra-Articular Stabilization of the Canine Cranial Cruciate Ligament Injury Using Arthrex Corkscrew and FASTak Anchors

Copyright © 2013 Erin N. Kishi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term outcome in dogs with cranial cruciate ligament injury that were repaired with an Arthrex Corkscrew or FASTak bone anchor and Fiberwire placed at near isometric points of the stifle. A retrospective study (2006-2010) was conducted by reviewing clinical records of dogs treated for cranial cruci-ate ligament injury with an extra-articular repair method using anchors preloaded with Fiberwire. A questionnaire was given to owners for evaluation of their dog’s performance prior to surgery and at time of follow-up with a minimum of 12 months post-operative. Owner assessment was rated using a visual analogue scale. Completed questionnaires from 34 owners were received. The mean time to follow up was 27.5 months. Owner assessment of their dog prior to surgery versus at the time of follow up were considered significant (P < 0.001) in regards to quality of life, willingness to play voluntarily, activity level, stiffness at the beginning and end of the day, lameness in the surgical limb, and pain while walking on the surgical limb. These results indicate that extra-articular stabilization with Arthrex Corkscrew and FASTak anchors placed at near isometric sites are adequate repair methods for cranial cruciate ligament rupture