title: The long-term results of meniscus transplantation for articular cartilage defects in the knee joint.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the long-term clinical results of meniscus transplantation for articular cartilage defects in the knee joint. The type of study was case series. From October 1990 to June 1995, eight cases underwent allogenic or autogenic meniscus transplantations for articular cartilage defects, and seven cases were available for follow-up evaluations. The age at surgery ranged from 14 to 42 years of age (average 22.5). In one case, transplantation of tissue-engineered cartilage was performed due to pain 5 years after surgery. The other six cases were followed up for 8-13 years (average 10.1). The size of the cartilage defect ranged from 1.0 to 6.3 cm2 (average 2.8 cm2). Patients were evaluated with the Lysholm score and MR images. We also performed arthroscopic examinations in three cases at the final evaluation. This study leads to the conclusion that meniscus transplantation for articular cartilage damage is not comparable to autologous chondrocyte transplantation. Two cases showed a good clinical outcome but the tissue remained as fibrocartilage tissue in the long-term.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hiroshima University, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan. snm3@hiroshima-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Masataka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deie
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sumen
authors.forename: Nobuo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Adachi
authors.forename: Atsuo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nakamae
authors.forename: Ayato
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miyamoto
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kanaya
authors.forename: Mitsuo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ochi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001182:Arthroscopy; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D051445:Fibrocartilage / Q000473:pathology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007718:Knee Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008592:Menisci, Tibial / Q000473:pathology / Q000637:transplantation*; D016896:Treatment Outcome