In late spring 2017, North Carolina State University (NCSU)’s “News” site featured a collaborative NCSU/UNC study — “Orientation changes in the cruciate ligaments of the knee during skeletal growth: A porcine model” — co-authored with NCSU colleagues by UNC Professor of Radiology Dr. Lynn Fordham and UNC Associate Professor of Orthopaedics Dr. Jeffrey Spang. Published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Research, the study examined how pig knees at various early stages of maturity compare to human knee counterparts.
Tracking ligament orientation using MRIs, study authors found that transitions in pig knee ligament orientation at various stages of maturity mapped very closely to the existing research on humans. Investigators aim via further mechanical testing to inform future clinical practice that can be applied to studying and improving clinical treatment of pediatric joint injuries.
(Cone SG, Simpson SG, Piedrahita JA, Fordham LA, Spang JT, Fisher MB. J Orthop Res. 2017 May 4. doi: 10.1002/jor.23594. [Epub ahead of print])
Lead study author Stephanie Cone (UNC/NCSU Biomedical Engineering PhD student) examines pig ligament MRIs