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Gunderson et al. Plast Aesthet Res 2023;10:50 Plastic and
DOI: 10.20517/2347-9264.2023.42
Aesthetic Research

Original Article Open Access

Essential neural anatomy for creating a clinically
translatable osseointegrated neural interface for

prosthetic control in sheep

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Kirsten A. Gunderson , Scott K. Odorico , Zeeda H. Nkana , Lucas Sears , Grant Seils , Rashea L. Minor ,
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Weifeng Zeng 1 , Samuel O. Poore , Aaron M. Dingle 1
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Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53792, USA.
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University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
Correspondence to: Dr. Aaron. M Dingle, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of
Medicine and Public Health, 600 Highland Avenue, CSC G5/347, Madison, WI 53792, USA. E-mail: dingle@surgery.wisc.edu
How to cite this article: Gunderson KA, Odorico SK, Nkana ZH, Sears L, Seils G, Minor RL, Zeng W, Poore SO, Dingle AM.
Essential neural anatomy for creating a clinically translatable osseointegrated neural interface for prosthetic control in sheep.
Plast Aesthet Res 2023;10:50. https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2347-9264.2023.42
Received: 18 May 2022 First Decision: 10 Aug 2023 Revised: 24 Aug 2023 Accepted: 6 Sep 2023 Published: 13 Sep 2023

Academic Editors: Joseph M. Rosen, Alison K. Snyder-Warwick Copy Editor: Yanbing Bai Production Editor: Yanbing Bai

Abstract
Aim: Ovine models for osseointegrated prosthetics research are well established, but do not consider neural
control of advanced prostheses. The validity of interfacing technologies, such as the Osseointegrated Neural
Interface (ONI), in their ability to provide communication between native nerves and advanced prosthetics is
required, necessitating a stable, longitudinal large animal model for testing. The objective of this study is to provide
a detailed anatomic description of the major nerves distal to the carpal and tarsal joints, informing the creation of a
chronic ONI for prosthetic control in sheep.

Methods: Six pelvic and six thoracic cadaveric limbs from mature female, non-lactating sheep were utilized.
Radiographs were obtained to determine average bone length, medullary canal diameter, and cortical bone
thickness. Microsurgical dissection was performed to discern topographical neuroanatomy and average
circumferences of the major nerves of the pelvic and thoracic limbs. Histologic analysis was performed. A surgical
approach for the creation of ONI was designed.
Results: Average metacarpal and metatarsal length was 15.0 cm (± 0.0) and 19.7 cm (± 1.0), respectively. Average
intramedullary canal diameter was 12.91 mm (± 3.69) for forelimbs and 12.60 mm (± 3.69) for hindlimbs. The
thoracic limb nerves consisted of one dorsal and three ventral nerves, with an average circumference of 5.14 mm

© The Author(s) 2023. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, sharing,
adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, for any purpose, even commercially, as
long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and
indicate if changes were made.

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