1. The ACL drawing. This is a drawing of the inside of the knee. Note the anterior cruciate ligament is one of the two ligaments that cross inside the knee.
2.The leg is clipped of all fur for sterility. Then the leg is scrubbed to remove dirt and bacteria.
3.Once the patient has been moved into the surgery suite, the leg is draped and toweled to cover all but the surgical areas.
4. A skin incision is made over the knee (the stifle).
5.The fascia (tissue covering the knee and joining muscles together) is incised to expose the fabella, a small bone behind femur.
6. Using a cruciate needle, a large size of surgical nylon is passed between the femur and the fabella.
7. The tibial crest is drilled to allow passage of the nylon suture through the bone.
8. The suture is passed under the patellar ligament and back through the tibial crest.
9. The joint capsule is opened to expose the torn ligament.
10. Shown here is the torn ligament running over the instrument. This ligament is normally very thick and sturdy.
Veterinary supervision is vital to the health of your pet. Whitney Veterinary Hospital assumes no liability for injury to you or your pet incurred by following these descriptions or procedures.
1. The ACL drawing. This is a drawing of the inside of the knee. Note the anterior cruciate ligament is one of the two ligaments that cross inside the knee.
3.Once the patient has been moved into the surgery suite, the leg is draped and toweled to cover all but the surgical areas.
5.The fascia (tissue covering the knee and joining muscles together) is incised to expose the fabella, a small bone behind femur.
7. The tibial crest is drilled to allow passage of the nylon suture through the bone.
9. The joint capsule is opened to expose the torn ligament.