Training models for meniscal repairs and small joint arthroscopy.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Veterinary Anatomy

Background:

• Limited availability and high cost of human cadavers necessitate alternative training models.
• Increasing demands for continuing professional development require ethically sound training solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify accessible and cost-effective animal models for surgical training.
• To evaluate stifle joints of ovine, bovine, and porcine species as alternatives for meniscal repair and small joint arthroscopy training.

Main Methods:

• Comparative anatomical analysis of ovine, bovine, and porcine stifle joints against human knee anatomy.
• Assessment of arthroscopic access, visualization, and ease of meniscal repair in the selected animal models.

Main Results:

• Bovine stifle joints were too large with limited access due to anatomical features.
• Ovine and bovine stifles demonstrated comparable anatomy to human knees and were readily available.
• Porcine stifles offered superior availability, accessibility, comparable anatomy, and better arthroscopic manageability due to their size.

Conclusions:

• Porcine stifles are a suitable, cost-effective, and accessible training model for arthroscopic meniscal repair.
• The porcine stifle is ideal for training in small joint arthroscopy and anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.