Mechanoreceptors of patellar tendon used for ACL reconstruction. Rabbit experiments

In 17 Japanese white rabbits (weighing 2.6-3.7 kg), the anterior cruciate ligament of the right knee was resected and then reconstructed, using the lateral half of the patellar tendon. The contralateral side served as control. Rabbits were killed 10, 20, or 30 weeks postoperatively. Then the reconstructed ligament was harvested and stained, using a modified gold chloride method. Under the light microscope, sensory nerve endings in serial sections were counted after being morphologically identified. With respect to the number of Pacinian and Ruffini corpuscles, there were no significant differences between the reconstructed ligament and the control patellar tendon at any time after surgery.