The cartilage thickness distribution in the tibiofemoral joint and its correlation with cartilage-to-cartilage contact.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to investigate whether regions of cartilage in the tibiofemoral joint where cartilage-to-cartilage contact occurred was thicker than other regions.


METHODS
In vivo human subjects.


BACKGROUND
The thickness of the cartilage in the knee has been investigated in various studies. However, the factors that influence the thickness distribution within the joint remain unclear.


METHODS
Six healthy living knees (5 male, 1 female, average age = 27) were scanned using magnetic resonance imaging. Three-dimensional models of the tibial and femoral cartilage layers were created. The cartilage thickness distribution was compared between regions where cartilage-to-cartilage contact was observed during in vivo weightbearing flexion and regions with no contact.


RESULTS
The regions with cartilage-to-cartilage contact were significantly thicker than the regions without cartilage-to-cartilage contact (P < 0.05). On the medial condyle, the cartilage-to-cartilage contact regions were up to 40% thicker than regions with no contact. On the lateral femoral condyle, the maximum difference between these regions was 20%. On the tibial plateau, the maximal differences between regions with and without cartilage-to-cartilage contact were found to be 40% on the medial side and 50% on the lateral side.


CONCLUSIONS
The data suggested that in normal knees, the cartilage was thicker in regions where cartilage-to-cartilage contact was present. Future studies should investigate the effects of in vivo loading on cartilage maintenance and growth. Relevance Injuries that alter knee kinematics might load regions of the joint where the cartilage is thinner. This might alter the stress distributions within the cartilage.
Li
Guoan
G
Bioengineering Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA. gli1@partners.org
Park
Sang Eun
SE
DeFrate
Louis E
LE
Schutzer
Matthew E
ME
Ji
Lunan
L
Gill
Thomas J
TJ
Rubash
Harry E
HE
D000328:Adult; D002356:Cartilage / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D005269:Femur / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D013977:Tibia / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology