title: Tibiofemoral contact mechanics following a horizontal cleavage lesion in the posterior horn of the medial meniscus.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine if a horizontal cleavage lesion (HCL) of the posterior horn of the medial meniscus would result in changes to tibiofemoral contact mechanics, as measured by peak contact pressure and contact area, which can lead to cartilage degeneration. To study this, 10 cadaveric knees were tested in a rig where forces were applied (500 N Compression, 100 N shear, 2.5 Nm Torque) and the knee dynamically flexed from -5° to 135°, as peak contact pressure and contact area were recorded. After testing of the intact knee, a horizontal cleavage lesion was created arthroscopically and testing repeated. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to determine if there were differences in peak contact pressure and contact area between the intact knee and that with the HCL. A statistically significant increase in peak contact pressure of 13%, on average, and a decrease in contact area of 6%, on average, was noted following the HCL. This suggests that a horizontal cleavage lesion will result in small but statistically significant changes in tibiofemoral contact mechanics which may lead to cartilage degeneration.
authors: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases, New York, New York.
authors: Sally
authors: S
authors: Arno
authors: Christopher P
authors: CP
authors: Bell
authors: Carlos
authors: C
authors: Uquillas
authors: Ilya
authors: I
authors: Borukhov
authors: Peter S
authors: PS
authors: Walker
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002102:Cadaver; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007593:Joint Instability / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D007718:Knee Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D022125:Lacerations / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D000070600:Tibial Meniscus Injuries; D016474:Weight-Bearing
keywords: MRI; contact area; horizontal cleavage lesion; osteoarthritis; peak contact pressure