[Nerve supply to the anterior cruciate ligament and cruciate ligament allograft].
To confirm the innervation of the anterior cruciate ligament and anterior cruciate allograft the anterior cruciate ligament was grafted allogenic and deep-freeze preserved, in 12 white New Zealand rabbits. After removal from the donor animal the ligaments and pertaining bone tissue were placed in deep freeze at -90 degrees C for 72 hours. The grafts were fixed in the receiving animal by means of transosseous wire sutures. The non-operated contralateral anterior cruciate ligament served as control. Follow-up examinations were performed after 3, 6, 12, 24, 36 and 52 weeks. Immunohistochemical methods were employed to examine newly ingrown nerve fibres. Monoclonal antibodies against neurofilaments (to identify rapid conducting mechanoreceptive afferent A fibres) were used, as well as substance P (to identify slow conducting nociceptive afferent C fibres) and thyrosine hydroxylase (for the identification of vasomotor efferent C fibres). In the control ligaments we found an abundant amount of nerve fibres of all three kinds, each of these having its own typical distribution pattern. The fibres were mainly subsynovial, in some cases however also localised in the interfascicular connective tissue septae. At specialised end organs we could only identify Ruffini's corpuscles. No nerve fibres were found in the cruciate ligament allografts after 3 weeks, but an initial few fibres showed up after 6 weeks. After 12 weeks individual nerve fibres of all 3 kinds became noticeable, and after 24 weeks all three kinds of fibres were abundantly represented. No specialised end organs were found in the allografts.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Fromm
B
B
Orthopädische Universitätsklinik Heidelberg.
Schäfer
B
B
Kummer
W
W
D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D016118:Anterior Cruciate Ligament / Q000294:innervation* / Q000637:transplantation; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008465:Mechanoreceptors / Q000473:pathology*; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D009619:Nociceptors / Q000473:pathology*; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000378:metabolism; D011817:Rabbits; D013373:Substance P / Q000378:metabolism; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology
D013373:Substance P; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D009638:Norepinephrine