La R&D pour mettre au point du
R&D to develop Z-lig tel began in 2010.
We carried out a series of mechanical tests to determine which fibers would be best suited to animals: smaller fibers than those found in humans, due to the size of the bone tunnels that can be made in animals, and stronger fibers, notably because the kinetic energy released by a 25kg dog running at 50km/h is much greater than that of a 70kg human running at 30km/h. We also had to study the architecture of the synthetic ligament to optimize its size and determine which configuration would be best suited to the biomechanical constraints in animals.
We also had to study the architecture of the synthetic ligament to optimize its size and determine which configuration would be best suited to the animal’s biomechanical constraints.
We carried out tests over several million cycles, reproducing the movements and forces present in the joint, i.e. combining flexion, tension and torsion movements, on the different architectures depending on the fibers selected.
The result is very clear: the free-fibre ligament is by far the most suitable for animals.
Indeed, all woven, braided or knitted structures fail to withstand more than 8 million cycles during this combination of movements in the stifle.
Z-lig tel was launched in 2010.
We carried out a series of mechanical tests to determine which fibers would be best suited to the animal: smaller fibers than those found in humans, due to the size of the bone tunnels that can be made in animals, and stronger fibers, particularly as the kinetic energy released by a 25kg dog running at 50km/h is much greater than that of a 70kg human running at 30km/h. We also had to study the architecture of the synthetic ligament to optimize its size and determine which configuration would be best suited to the biomechanical constraints of the animal.
We also had to study the architecture of the synthetic ligament to optimize its size and determine which configuration would be best suited to the animal’s biomechanical constraints.
We carried out tests over several million cycles, reproducing the movements and forces present in the joint, i.e. combining flexion, tension and torsion movements, on the different architectures depending on the fibers selected.
The result is very clear: the free-fibre ligament is by far the most suitable for animals.
Indeed, all woven, braided or knitted structures cannot withstand more than 8 million cycles during this combination of movements in the stifle.
What’s more, these architectures lead to premature wear before breakage, resulting in particle deposits in the joint, which should be avoided.
The free-fiber ligament, on the other hand, composed solely of longitudinal fibers in the active zone, had a residual strength of 90% of its initial strength, with no substantial deformation and no particle deposition, since free fibers have no tendency to shear one another.
It was this architecture that was chosen, and Z-lig is now the most technologically advanced synthetic ligament and the most suitable for ligament reconstruction.
More than 4,000 surgeries have been performed since Z-lig was launched in 2018, and the results statistics only encourage further development of its use, as it is the most effective way of restoring stifle stability while limiting invasive procedures, and guaranteeing good long-term results.
