title: Durability of artificial implants for repair of osteochondral defects of the medial femoral condyle in rabbits.
abstract: Full-thickness osteochondral defects in the femoral condyles of 25 rabbits were repaired using artificial implants made of Teflon or Dacron. The 6 and 12 month results were compared with ungrafted defects (natural repair) and periosteal grafting. Throughout the observation period, all repair sites were three-fold more compliant than normal cartilage (P < 0.01). The adjacent cartilage was unaffected. Splits between the repair sites and the adjacent cartilage were common. At 6 months, the Dacron repairs had higher scores than natural repair (P < 0.05). Between 6 and 12 months, no significant change in appearance was noted for the artificial repairs. At 1 yr, the scores for natural and Dacron repairs were similarly high, but natural repair had more surface fibrillation (P < 0.05). Periosteal grafting had a lower score than Dacron repair (P < 0.01). Synovitis and artificial debris tended to decrease with time (n.s., P < 0.06). In the present model, Dacron repair of small cartilage defects at 1 yr showed better neocartilage quality than periosteal grafting. Dacron had earlier neocartilage formation than unrepaired defects, and showed no late deterioration, but normal cartilage mechanics and morphology were not attained.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Messner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D018786:Bone Substitutes; D016025:Bone Transplantation; D002357:Cartilage Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000601:surgery*; D004355:Drug Stability; D005269:Femur / Q000601:surgery*; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000601:surgery*; D007720:Knee Prosthesis; D011093:Polyethylene Terephthalates; D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D018786:Bone Substitutes; D011093:Polyethylene Terephthalates; D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene