The use of orthopedic wire as a lateral suture for stifle stabilization.

Extracapsular suture stabilization is a long-accepted technique for stabilization of cranial cruciate deficient stifles in small-breed dogs. Use of stainless steel wire as the suture material in the extracapsular technique extends the procedure to use in many large breed dogs and is currently the author's surgery of choice. The surgical technique and illustrative cases are described.