Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Accessory tendon graft helps repair torn calf tendon in dogs better
By Duffy, Daniel J et al.·Published in Veterinary surgery : VS·2021·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Biomechanical analysis of accessory tendon graft augmentation for primary gastrocnemius tendon reconstruction in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at how adding an accessory tendon graft (ATG) could improve surgery outcomes for dogs with a torn gastrocnemius tendon, which is important for their back leg movement. The researchers found that using the ATG made the repair stronger, requiring more force to cause gaps in the tendon compared to standard repair methods. This suggests that using an ATG could help dogs recover better after surgery. Further studies are needed to see how this technique affects dogs' overall function after the procedure.
People also search for: dog gastrocnemius tendon repair · dog leg surgery recovery · accessory tendon graft for dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of accessory tendon graft (ATG) augmentation as an adjunct to a core locking-loop (LL) and epitendinous suture (ES) repair in a gastrocnemius tendon (GT) model. STUDY DESIGN: Randomized, ex vivo, biomechanical. POPULATION: Twenty-two canine GT musculotendinous constructs. METHODS: GT repair constructs were randomly divided into two groups (n = 10/group). After transection, paired GT were repaired with LL + ES alone or with concurrent ATG augmentation. Yield, peak and failure loads, tensile loads required to create 1 and 3 mm gapping, and failure modes were evaluated. Four GT were used as intact controls for validation of testing methodology. ATG constructs were compared to LL + ES and control specimens. RESULTS: Yield (p < .0001), peak (p = .0001) and failure loads (p = .0003) were greater when ATG was used for repair. Greater force was required to cause 1 mm (p = .0001) and 3 mm (p = .0002) gap formation in the ATG group, however, the frequency of gap formation did not differ between groups. All repaired constructs failed exclusively by suture pull-through. CONCLUSION: Autologous ATG augmentation as an adjunct to primary GT repair increased yield, peak and failure forces by approximately 1.6×, 1.9×, 1.8× respectively and required 2.1× greater force to cause 1 and 3 mm formation respectively compared to LL + ES repairs alone. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: ATG augmentation should be considered as an autologous method to support and strengthen the primary GT repair. These results justify studies to determine the effect of ATG on clinical function following graft harvest in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33942332/