Beschreibung:
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p><jats:bold>Objective</jats:bold>—To develop a model for measuring rotary stability of the canine elbow joint and to evaluate the relative contribution of the anconeal process (AN), lateral collateral ligament (LCL), and medial collateral ligament (MCL).</jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Sample Population</jats:bold>—18 forelimbs from 12 canine cadavers.</jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Procedure</jats:bold>—Forelimbs were allocated to 3 experimental groups (6 forelimbs/group). Each intact forelimb was placed in extension at an angle of 135° and cycled 50 times from –16° (pronation) to +28° (supination) in a continuous manner at 2.0 Hz. Cycling was repeated following sectioning of the structure of interest (group 1, AN; group 2, LCL; and group 3, MCL). Torque at –12° (pronation) and +18° (supination) was measured for each intact and experimentally sectioned limb. A Student t test was performed to compare torque values obtained from intact verses experimentally sectioned limbs and for comparison with established criteria for differentiation of primary (≥ 33%), secondary (10 to 33%), and tertiary rotational stabilizers (< 10%).</jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Results</jats:bold>—In pronation, the AN was the only primary stabilizer (65%). For supination, the LCL was a primary stabilizer (48%), AN was a secondary stabilizer (24%), and MCL was a tertiary stabilizer (7%).</jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Conclusions and Clinical Relevance</jats:bold>—With the elbow joint in extension at an angle of 135°, the AN is a primary rotational stabilizer in pronation, and the LCL is a primary stabilizer in supination. Disruption of the AN or LCL may affect rotary range of motion or compromise stability of the elbow joint in dogs. (<jats:italic>Am J Vet Res</jats:italic>2002;63:1520–1526)</jats:p>