title: The repair of osteochondral defects using an exogenous fibrin clot. An experimental study in dogs.
abstract: To evaluate the ability of an exogenous fibrin clot to hasten or optimize the repair of full-thickness articular cartilage defects, 4-mm diameter, full-thickness articular cartilage defects in 20 adult mongrel dogs were packed with an exogenous fibrin clot that had been prepared from each animal. The defects were created in a loaded and unloaded portion of the femoral trochlea. The healing response was then examined using routine histology at various intervals from 2 weeks to 6 months. Both the experimental (clot-filled) and control (empty) defects healed through a proliferation of fibrous connective tissue that eventually modulated into fibrocartilage. However, in the 2-, 4-, and 8-week animals, the experimental defects (both loaded and unloaded) demonstrated a more organized and advanced healing response than did the control defects. This difference was less pronounced in the 12- and 24-week animals. In all specimens, the clot-filled defects healed more uniformly than controls with less surface depression. In general, the unloaded sites were more uniform in healing than the corresponding loaded sites.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Comparative Orthopaedic Research, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, New York.
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Paletta
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Arnoczky
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Warren
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001777:Blood Coagulation / Q000502:physiology*; D001861:Bone Regeneration / Q000502:physiology; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000187:drug effects / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology; D004285:Dogs; D005337:Fibrin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology; D013536:Suture Techniques; D016474:Weight-Bearing / Q000502:physiology; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D005337:Fibrin