Chondroprotective effects of a polycarbonate-urethane meniscal implant: histopathological results in a sheep model
- نوع فایل : کتاب
- زبان : انگلیسی
- مؤلف : Gal Zur • Eran Linder-Ganz • Jonathan J. Elsner • Jonathan Shani • Ori Brenner • Gabriel Agar • Elliott B. Hershman • Steven P. Arnoczky • Farshid G
- چاپ و سال / کشور: 2010
Description
Purpose Injury or loss of the meniscus generally leads to degenerative osteoarthritic changes in the knee joint. However, few surgical options exist for meniscal replacement. The goal of this study was to examine the ability of a non-degradable, anatomically shaped artificial meniscal implant, composed of Kevlar-reinforced polycarbonateurethane (PCU), to prevent progressive cartilage degeneration following complete meniscectomy. Methods The artificial meniscus was implanted in the knees of mature female sheep following total medial meniscectomy, and the animals were killed at 3- and 6-months post-surgery. Macroscopic analysis and semiquantitative histological analysis were performed on the cartilage of the operated knee and unoperated contralateral control joint. Results The PCU implants remained well secured throughout the experimental period and showed no signs of wear or changes in structural or material properties. Histological analysis showed relatively mild cartilage degeneration that was dominated by loss of proteoglycan content and cartilage structure. However, the total osteoarthritis score did not significantly differ between the control and operated knees, and there were no differences in the severity of degenerative changes between 3 and 6 months post-surgery. Conclusion Current findings provide preliminary evidence for the ability of an artificial PCU meniscal implant to delay or prevent osteoarthritic changes in knee joint following complete medial meniscectomy.
Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc (2011) 19:255–263 DOI 10.1007/s00167-010-1210-5 Received: 25 January 2010 / Accepted: 23 June 2010 / Published online: 16 July 2010
