title: Retropatellar chondromalacia associated with medial osteoarthritis after meniscus injury. One year of observations in sheep.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In an ovine meniscal repair model, the patellofemoral (PF) osteoarthritis due to a non-sutured tear or failed repair was investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  A radial meniscus tear was either sutured with polydioxanone (PDS), with a slow degrading polylactide long-term suture(LTS) or left without treatment. Knee joint cartilage in the PF and medial compartment was evaluated compared to normal knees (healthy controls).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Retropatellar osteoarthritis in the non-sutured and sutured animals was intense in contrast to the control knees after 6 months in all groups (p < 0.001), and after 12 months in the PDS group (p < 0.001), LTS group and non-sutured animals (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Non-sutured meniscus tears and failed repair lead fast to intense PF osteoarthritis corresponding with tibial damage of the injured compartment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Trauma Surgery, University of Bonn Medical Center, Bonn, Germany. christof.burger@ukb.uni-bonn.de
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Burger
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kabir
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rangger
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Minor
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Tolba
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D046789:Chondromalacia Patellae / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D007239:Infections; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000473:pathology; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010329:Patella; D012756:Sheep; D013537:Sutures; D013582:Synovial Fluid / Q000378:metabolism; D000070600:Tibial Meniscus Injuries; D013997:Time Factors; D016474:Weight-Bearing