title: Morphologic and morphometric study of patellar resurfacing with woven carbon filamentous pads.
abstract: Analysis of retrieved woven carbon filamentous pads, used for resurfacing of the patellar joint surface, disclosed a 4-zonal organizational pattern. Zone 1, facing the articular cavity, was devoid of carbon filaments and consisted of fibrous tissue. Foreign body granulation tissue and fibrous tissue occupied about one-third and approximately 50%-60% of the interfilamentous space in zones 2 and 3, respectively. Carbon filaments formed 2%-9% of zone 2 and 14%-16% of zone 3. An interfacial membrane-like zone 4 separated the carbon filamentous pads from a trabecular bony shell. The bone volume within the latter was approximately 25%. Given that the purpose of articular resurfacing with implants is repopulation of the defect by chondrocytes producing a cartilaginous matrix, the woven carbon filamentous pads did not fulfill this expectation. In an environment of an ongoing foreign body-induced granulomatous reaction, the stem cells permeating the interstices of the woven carbon filamentous pad are apparently incapable of maturing into highly differentiated cells (chondrocytes) synthesizing a highly complex (cartilaginous) matrix.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Bnai-Zion Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sabo
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Misselevich
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bejar
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Mendes
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Boss
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017554:Carbon Compounds, Inorganic; D006801:Humans; D010329:Patella / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D017554:Carbon Compounds, Inorganic