title: Periosteal transplantation to the rabbit patella.
abstract: Autologous periosteal transplantation (without chondrocyte cell transplantation) for treating traumatic articular cartilage defects of the patella gives pain relief in uncontrolled clinical studies. To study the whole transplanted area macroscopically and microscopically, animal studies are motivated. In this pilot study, we reproduce the surgical technique for periosteum transplantation on human patella to a rabbit model. A full-thickness cartilage defect of the whole patella was created in eight adult female rabbits. The defect was treated with autologous periosteal transplantation. After surgery, the rabbits were allowed free activity. This is the difference compared to the treatment in humans, where our group uses CPM for 5 days and non-weight-bearing for 12 weeks. After 21 weeks, there was a diffuse synovitis in all transplanted knees, and in five of eight knees there were signs of osteoarthritis in the patello-femoral joint. Histologically, in three animals, small islands of hyaline cartilage surrounded by fibrocartilage were seen in the transplanted area. In the other five animals, fibrocartilage was the predominant tissue. In contrast to previous experimental studies using a rabbit model, we did not achieve hyaline cartilage resurfacing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical and Perioperative Sciences, Orthopedics, Umeå University, 90185, Umeå, Sweden. lisbeth.brax@orthop.umu.se
authors.forename: Lisbeth Brax
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Olofsson
authors.forename: Olle
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Svensson
authors.forename: Ronny
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lorentzon
authors.forename: Inger
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lindström
authors.forename: Håkan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Alfredson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000293:injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D051445:Fibrocartilage / Q000473:pathology; D051457:Hyaline Cartilage / Q000473:pathology; D023421:Models, Animal; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000473:pathology; D010329:Patella / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D010521:Periosteum / Q000637:transplantation*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011817:Rabbits; D013499:Surface Properties; D013585:Synovitis / Q000473:pathology; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous