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Updated: Jul 3, 2026
Athymic Rat Model for Evaluation of Engineered Anterior Cruciate Ligament Grafts
Published on: March 26, 2015
[Effect of bone tunnel diameter on anterior cruciate ligament insertion outcome]
Pei Zhang1, Quan Liu, Jiansheng Zhou
1Department of Orthopedic Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu Anhui, 233000, P.R. China.
Objective:
To observe the histology change of the insertion using different diametrical bone tunnel in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.
Methods:
Ninety Japanese rabbits were selected, mihout female and male limit, weighing 2.5-3.0 kg, and were randomly divided into 3 groups, 30 in each group. The ratio of transplantation ligament diameter and bone tunnel diameter was 1/1 (group A), the ratio was 1/1.5 (group B), and the ratio was 1/2 (group C). Bone tunnel observation and histology observation were carried out in the 4th, 8th and 16th weeks postoperatively.
Results:
Wound healed well in 3 groups. The mean time of walking functional recovery was 1.5, 2.0 and 3.5 days in groups A, B and C respectively. After 4 weeks of operation, more soft tissues at tunnel entry were observed in group A and group B than in group C; after 8 weeks of operation, there was no crevice at bone-tunnel entry of the groups A and B, there was no improvement in group C; after 16 weeks of operation, groups A and B showed the normal insertion, group C had no normal insertion. Histology observation: in groups A, B and C, bone-tunnel was filled with loose connective tissue after 4 weeks of operation; group A and group B emerged the discontinuation ACL insertion tidal line after 8 weeks of operation, group C had no insertion; groups A and B emerged the similarity normal ACL insertion tidal line structure after 16 weeks of operation, but group C had no this structure. The results of ultimate tensile strength in groups A, B and C were (75.44 +/- 7.06), (91.37 +/- 6.14) and (126.91 +/- 4.61) N respectively at 4 weeks; the results were (74.31 +/- 4.81), (88.30 +/- 7.46) and (124.34+/- 8.44) N respectively at 8 weeks; and the results were (62.20 +/- 5.32), (71.53 +/- 5.99) and (83.62 +/- 5.69) N respectively at 16 weeks. There was no significant difference between group A and group B (P > 0.05), and there were significant differences between groups A, B and group C (P < 0.05).
Conclusion:
In the ACL reconstruction, the ratio of transplantation ligament diameter and bone tunnel diameter being 1/1.5 will not affect the insertion outcome, but if the ratio less than the limit it will affect the insertion outcome.