Page 191 - Demo

Animal experiment: Radiological analysis of the LPM reattachment1897ResultsWeight and cinematicsDuring the post-operative period, each sheep was weighed and evaluated weekly. The average preoperative weight was 73.4 kg, and an average loss of 8.4 kg occurred during the first post-operative week. The average weight then declined even more by 3 months after implantation, but then increased and was 72.7 kg at the end of the observation period (Table 1).Sheep have a preferred side for rumination, but they will switch sides.(12) To ascertain that the ewes did not perform only left-sided laterotrusion, video recordings of the right-sided rumination movements of two randomly selected sheep were made before surgery. Videos of 2 sheep that preoperatively randomly selected, were also made at 1 week, 3 months, and 9 months after surgery. They revealed the presence of laterotrusive movement to the right side, which indicated unilateral contraction of the LPM on the operated side. The LPM was still attached to the implant and allowed for laterotrusive movement to the contralateral side (Video 1-3).RadiologyThe CT scans were evaluated for the presence of a bony insertion of the LPM that was in contact with the subcondylar lattice structure. The operative notes described whether a bony piece of the enthesis or whether fibrocartilaginous tissue was re-attached to the implant (Table 2). The follow-up scans at 1 month after surgery revealed good positioning of the fossa component in ewe 1724. The ramal component was not yet well-integrated with the mandible. However, as expected, there was callus formation between the mandible and the ramal component. There was also a soft tissue connection with a thickness of 3mm between the implant and the enthesis. In comparison, the post-mortem scan showed both bony and soft tissue connections between the implant and the scaffold. This result can be explained by formation of heterotopic bone surrounding the ramal component, which provided additional support and stability and allowed for better integration. The results for the second sheep that was scanned, ewe 8087, also indicated there was good positioning of both Nikolas de Meurechy NW.indd 189 05-06-2024 10:14