Neochondrogenesis in repair of full-thickness articular cartilage defects using free autogenous periosteal grafts in the rabbit. A follow-up in six months

AbstractFull-thickness articular cartilage defects do not heal spontaneously. Several techniques have been developed to address this issue, but none resulted in the restitutio ad integrum of the articular cartilage. The most frequent sites of chondral lesion in the knee are medial femoral condyle and patella. The patellofemoral lesions are characterized by outcomes that are generally worse than those of tibiofemoral ones. To date, it has been well recognized the chondrogenic potential of rib perichondrium, and costal cartilage grafts have been extensively used in reconstructive surgery. Considering the need to find a gold standard technique to restore articular defect, we developed and here described a new technique to repair cartilage lesions of the knee using autologous costal cartilage graft with its perichondrium. This innovative surgical approach can be used to treat full thickness articular defects using autologous hyaline cartilage, making it possible to cover wide defects. This one step technique is low invasive, not technically demanding with minimal donor site morbidity and it has low costs. The long-term clinical efficacy of the method remains to be evaluated.

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The Use of Particulated Juvenile Allograft Cartilage for the Repair of Porcine Articular Cartilage Defects

The American Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/0363546519856346 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 47 (10) ◽

pp. 2308-2315 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Yunong Ao ◽

Zhong Li ◽

Qi You ◽

Chengchang Zhang ◽

Liu Yang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Articular Cartilage ◽

Statistical Difference ◽

Fibrous Tissue ◽

Cartilage Defects ◽

Control Group ◽

General View ◽

Full Thickness ◽

Femoral Trochlea ◽

Articular Cartilage Defects ◽

Experimental Group

Background: The repair of porcine articular cartilage defects by using particulated juvenile allograft cartilage (PJAC) has demonstrated good short-term clinical efficacy, but the repair process and mechanism have not been fully elucidated. Purpose: To study the efficacy of PJAC in repairing full-thickness cartilage defects and to provide an experimental basis for its clinical application. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Thirty Guizhou minipigs were randomly divided into an experimental group and control group. An 8-mm cylindrical full-thickness cartilage defect was created in the femoral trochlea of either knee in all minipigs. The experimental group received the PJAC transplantation (PJAC group; n = 15) and the control group received autologous cartilage chips (ACC group; n = 15). Five minipigs were euthanized at 1, 3, and 6 months in each group to obtain samples, which were evaluated by general view of the knee joint and histomorphometry of the chondral defect area (hematoxylin and eosin, safranin O). International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) II semiquantitative evaluation and collagen type II staining immunohistochemistry were also performed. Results: All 30 Guizhou minipigs were followed; there was no infection or incision healing disorder after the operation. At 1 month postoperatively, more hyaline cartilage was found in the ACC group (29.4%) compared with the PJAC group (20.1%) ( P < .05); there was no statistical difference between the 2 groups at 3 and 6 months after operation. The fibrocartilage content in the ACC group was significantly more than that in the PJAC group at 1 and 3 months postoperatively (27.4% vs 18.2% and 49.9% vs 41.1%, respectively; P < .05); significant differences disappeared at 6 months postoperatively. The PJAC group produced more fibrous tissue than the ACC group at 1 and 3 months postoperatively (60.1% vs 40.6% and 38.8% vs 24.4%, respectively; P < .05) but showed no statistical difference at 6 months postoperatively. Regarding the ICRS II scores, those of the ACC group were significantly better than the scores of the PJAC group in some subclasses at 3 and 6 months postoperatively. The positive rates of immunohistochemical staining in the ACC group were higher at 1 and 3 months postoperatively than those in the PJAC group (54.2% vs 37.8% and 46.4% vs 34.4%, respectively; P < .05). The difference was not statistically significant between the 2 groups at 6 months postoperatively. Conclusion: Both PJAC and ACC can produce a good repair effect on cartilage defects. At 1 and 3 months postoperatively, ACC resulted in better outcomes than PJAC, but there was no statistical difference in the repair effect between the 2 techniques at 6 months postoperatively. Clinical Relevance: Based on this animal experiment, further clinical studies are needed to investigate PJAC as a possible alternative first-line treatment for cartilage defects.

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Cell-Free Osteochondral Scaffold for the Treatment of Focal Articular Cartilage Defects in Early Knee OA: 5 Years’ Follow-Up Results

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm8111978 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (11) ◽

pp. 1978 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Andrea Sessa ◽

Luca Andriolo ◽

Alessandro Di Martino ◽

Iacopo Romandini ◽

Roberto De Filippis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Articular Cartilage ◽

International Knee Documentation Committee ◽

Clinical Results ◽

Activity Level ◽

Cartilage Defects ◽

Mri Findings ◽

Clinical Criteria ◽

Osteochondral Scaffold ◽

Articular Cartilage Defects

The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical results at five years’ follow-up of a tri-layered nanostructured biomimetic osteochondral scaffold used for focal articular cartilage defects in patients meeting the criteria of early osteoarthritis (EOA). The study population comprised 22 patients (mean age: 39 years), prospectively assessed before surgery, at 24 and 60 months’ follow-up. Inclusion criteria were: at least two episodes of knee pain for more than 10 days in the last year, Kellgren-Lawrence OA grade 0, I or II and arthroscopic or MRI findings according to the European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery & Arthroscopy (ESSKA) criteria. Clinical results demonstrated significant improvement in International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective and objective scores and in Tegner score, although activity level never reached the pre-injury level. The complication rate of this study was 8.3%. Two patients underwent re-operation (8.3%), while a comprehensive definition of failure (including both surgical and clinical criteria) identified four failed patients (16.6%) at this mid-term follow-up evaluation. The use of a free-cell osteochondral scaffold represented a safe and valid alternative for the treatment of focal articular cartilage defects in the setting of an EOA, and was able to permit a significant clinical improvement and stable outcome with low complication and failure rates.

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