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Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy
Published in: Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy 2/2011

01-02-2011 | Knee

Chondroprotective effects of a polycarbonate-urethane meniscal implant: histopathological results in a sheep model

Authors: Gal Zur, Eran Linder-Ganz, Jonathan J. Elsner, Jonathan Shani, Ori Brenner, Gabriel Agar, Elliott B. Hershman, Steven P. Arnoczky, Farshid Guilak, Avi Shterling

Published in: Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy | Issue 2/2011

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Abstract

Purpose

Injury or loss of the meniscus generally leads to degenerative osteoarthritic changes in the knee joint. However, few surgical options exist for meniscal replacement. The goal of this study was to examine the ability of a non-degradable, anatomically shaped artificial meniscal implant, composed of Kevlar®-reinforced polycarbonate-urethane (PCU), to prevent progressive cartilage degeneration following complete meniscectomy.

Methods

The artificial meniscus was implanted in the knees of mature female sheep following total medial meniscectomy, and the animals were killed at 3- and 6-months post-surgery. Macroscopic analysis and semi-quantitative histological analysis were performed on the cartilage of the operated knee and unoperated contralateral control joint.

Results

The PCU implants remained well secured throughout the experimental period and showed no signs of wear or changes in structural or material properties. Histological analysis showed relatively mild cartilage degeneration that was dominated by loss of proteoglycan content and cartilage structure. However, the total osteoarthritis score did not significantly differ between the control and operated knees, and there were no differences in the severity of degenerative changes between 3 and 6 months post-surgery.

Conclusion

Current findings provide preliminary evidence for the ability of an artificial PCU meniscal implant to delay or prevent osteoarthritic changes in knee joint following complete medial meniscectomy.
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Metadata
Title
Chondroprotective effects of a polycarbonate-urethane meniscal implant: histopathological results in a sheep model
Authors
Gal Zur
Eran Linder-Ganz
Jonathan J. Elsner
Jonathan Shani
Ori Brenner
Gabriel Agar
Elliott B. Hershman
Steven P. Arnoczky
Farshid Guilak
Avi Shterling
Publication date
01-02-2011
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy / Issue 2/2011
Print ISSN: 0942-2056
Electronic ISSN: 1433-7347
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-010-1210-5

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