J Vet Sci.  2018 Sep;19(5):699-707. 10.4142/jvs.2018.19.5.699.

Cranial cruciate ligament structure in relation to the tibial plateau slope and intercondylar notch width in dogs

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, 612 42 Brno, Czech Republic. kyllarm@vfu.cz
  • 2Companion Care, Broadstairs CT10 2RQ, United Kingdom.

Abstract

Cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) rupture is one of the most common orthopedic conditions in dogs. The pathogenesis of CCL rupture is not fully described and remains to be elucidated fully. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the etiology of these changes. The objective of this study was to investigate structural changes in the CCL in relation to the tibial plateau angle (TPA) and the intercondylar notch (ICN) width in dogs. Fifty-five skeletally mature dogs were included in this study. ICN width and TPA measurements were obtained from intact CCL stifles. Samples of the CCL, caudal cruciate ligament (CaCL), and femoral head ligament (FHL) were harvested and stained for routine histological and immunohistochemical analysis. Microscopic changes in the ligaments were observed and were found to correlate with the TPA and ICN width values. The degree of structural changes within the CCL was observed to correlate with an increasing TPA and a narrowing ICN width. Changes in the CCL are likely to be caused by excessive forces acting through the ligament in stifles with a high TPA. Chondroid metaplasia of the CCL is an adaptation to abnormal mechanics within the stifle joint caused by altered bone morphology.

Keyword

arthritis; cranial cruciate ligament; stifle

MeSH Terms

Animals
Anterior Cruciate Ligament*
Arthritis
Dogs*
Head
Joints
Ligaments
Mechanics
Metaplasia
Orthopedics
Rupture
Stifle

Figure

  • Fig. 1 Histological appearance of the cranial cruciate ligament with different structural changes. (A and B) Histological appearance of a normal cranial cruciate ligament showing typical fibroblast orientation with a spindle-shaped appearance, regular fascicular structure, and pale interfascicular areas. (C–F) Mild fibroblast transformation of the nuclei into an ovoid to round shape, some columnar chondroid transformation (black arrows) and formation of perinuclear halo (white arrows), loss of even distribution of the fibroblasts within the ligament, regular fascicular structure, and increased mucopolysaccharide content (alcian blue/periodic acid-Schiff [AC-PAS] stain). (G–J) Significant chondroid metaplasia with the formation of columns (black arrows) and clones of transformed fibroblasts (black arrowheads and inset in panel J), irregular fascicular network, and a significant increase in mucopolysaccharides (AC-PAS). White arrows, perinuclear halo. H&E stain (A, C, E, G, and I). AC-PAS stain (B, D, F, H, and J). Scale bars = 100 µm (A–J). 400× (inset in panel J).

  • Fig. 2 Relationship of structural changes between the cranial cruciate ligament and the tibial plateau angle (TPA).

  • Fig. 3 Relationship of structural changes between the cranial cruciate ligament and the overall notch width index (NWI).

  • Fig. 4 Histological structure of the femoral head ligament showing characteristics of normal ligamentous structure, such as spindle-shaped fibroblasts' nuclei, regular fiber pattern, and minimal staining for mucopolysaccharides. H&E stain (A and B). Scale bars = 100 µm (A and B).

  • Fig. 5 S100 staining of the cranial cruciate ligament. (A) Negative staining of the stifle with a tibial plateau angle (TPA) of 21°. (B) Positive expression of S100 of a stifle with a TPA of 32°. Scale bars = 100 µm (A), 40 µm (B).

  • Fig. 6 Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) staining of the cranial cruciate ligament. (A) Negative staining of the stifle with a tibial plateau angle (TPA) of 21°s. (B) Positive expression of MMP-2 of a stifle with a TPA of 32°. Scale bars = 100 µm (A), 40 µm (B).


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