title: Harvest and conservation of meniscal allografts.
abstract: Meniscal allografts can be harvested and preserved in different ways. A technique for harvesting and conserving viable allografts is described. The meniscus should be harvested within 12 h after the start of ischaemia. The ideal time for implantation of the viable graft is 10 to 14 days after harvest, in which time a recipient should be identified. Frozen grafts are avital. Cryopreserved grafts are not avital, as 10-30% of the fibrochondrocytes are preserved. Frozen and cryopreserved grafts can be stored for a long time and if a graft bank is established, grafts are always readily available. There is no proven advantage of one graft type over others.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Physical Medicine, University Hospital, Gent, Belgium.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Verdonk
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kohn
mesh_terms: D015925:Cryopreservation; D006801:Humans; D008592:Menisci, Tibial / Q000637:transplantation*; D014021:Tissue Preservation; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous