Small Intestinal Submucosa as an Intra-Articular Ligamentous Graft Material: A Pilot Study in Dogs

Small intestinal submucosa was used to replace the excised cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) in five normal dogs. The histological appearance of the grafts progressively changed, with time, from disorganized immature connective tissue to large bundles of organized connective tissue that resembled the native CCL. Graft strength increased between implantation and 26 weeks after the operation, however remained weaker than controls.