Validation of an optical, computer-assisted technique for intraoperative tracking of 3-dimensional canine stifle...

Cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) rupture is the most common orthopedic pathology in dog and in men. In human, optical computer-assisted technique is considered as a repeatable and reliable method for the biomechanical assessment of joint kinematics and laxity in case of CCL surgery.

To evaluate the repeatability and reliability afforded by clinical tests in terms of laxity measured by means of a computer-assisted tracking system in two canine CCL conditions: CCL-Intact, CCL-Deficient.

Fourteen fresh frozen canine stifles were passively subjected to Internal/External (IE) rotation at 120° of flexion and Cranial drawer test (CC). To quantify the repeatability and the reliability, intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and the mean percent error were evaluated (Δ r %).

The study showed a very good intra-class correlation, before and after CCL resection for kinematics tests. It was found a minimum ICC = 0.73 during the IE rotation in CCL-Intact and a maximum value of ICC = 0.97 for the CC displacement in CC-Deficient. IE rotation with CCL-Intact is the condition with the greatest Δ r % = 14%, while the lowest Δ r % = 6% was obtained for CC displacement in CCL-Deficient.

The presented work underlined the possibility of using a computer-assisted method also for biomechanical studies concerning stifle kinematics and laxity.