Mechanical effects of autogenous osteochondral surgical grafting procedures and instrumentation on grafts of articular cartilage.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze the mechanical effects of autogenous osteochondral grafting procedures on articular cartilage.


METHODS
The intensity, duration, and interval (indexes of stiffness, surface irregularity, and thickness) of the cartilage were assessed in a porcine model using an ultrasonic measurement system. In 7 of 12 knees, 6-mm-diameter plugs were harvested from the donor knees and grafted into 5-mm recipient holes at 3 different points per knee (21 plugs). In the remaining 5 knees, 5-mm plugs were harvested and returned to their original position (28 plugs).


RESULTS
No significant differences in the intensity, duration, and interval of the cartilage were observed with the plugs before harvesting and after grafting by the paired t test. The 3 indexes of the 6- and 5-mm plugs that were grafted correlated significantly with those before they were.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that osteochondral graft surgery does not affect the stiffness, surface irregularity, and thickness of the cartilage of the plugs at time zero.
Kuroki
Hiroshi
H
College of Medical Technology, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
Nakagawa
Yasuaki
Y
Mori
Koji
K
Ikeuchi
Ken
K
Nakamura
Takashi
T
D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D016025:Bone Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000637:transplantation*; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000166:cytology; D023421:Models, Animal; D013552:Swine; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D014463:Ultrasonography