What have animals taught us about total joint arthroplasty ? A review of the literature

Abstract

Animal models for total joint arthroplasty (TJA) have been reported on extensively in the literature. This work seeks to objectively review the most relevant and recent studies performed using these models, and to provide insight into the strengths and weaknesses of each. The terms joint arthroplasty and animal model were searched on Pubmed on March 1, 2015. Animal models included bovine, canine, ovine, goat, rat, and rabbit. Much of the work in animal models for TJA has focused on the biologic response to novel materials, biologics, and surgical techniques ; as interest grows the use of animal models may increase.