The Experimental Study On The Difference Of The Repaired Cartilage By Porous Tantalum And The Other Two Methods

BACKGROUND: Articular cartilage defects can cause severe joint pain.Articular cartilage can not regenarate naturelly, and osteoarthritis causedby articular cartilage defects must cured by manually repair or jointreplacementOBJECTIVE: The feasibility and efficacy of using compound materialmade of porous tantalum and periosteum as a scaffold to repair thefemoral cartilage defects of rabbits were investigated, so do the scaffoldmade of tricalcium phosphate and periosteum, comparing to the group ofusing periosteal graffs simply. The comparison of the new cartilages wasused to determine the difference in the repair of articular cartilage defect.METHOD:36female New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided intoan experimental group (n=12, repaired with compound material made ofporous tantalum and periosteum as a scaffold), and a control group(n=12,repaired with compound material made of tricalcium phosphate andperiosteum as a scaffold), and a simple group(n=12, simple periostealgraffs were applied to repair the defects). A six-mm-long articularcartilage defect was made in the center of36New Zealand rabbits'femoral condyle articular surface layer respectively with a drill which is8mm in diameter. The compound scaffold was transplanted into thedefects of the rabbits dividely and a piece of pretreated periosteum wascovered on the surface of the defect, the simple group's defects were only made and covered with the pretreated periosteum. Plaster fixation wereused to brake the joints after surgery. The specimens were excised at the12th week, synovium, synovial fluid and femoral condyle articularsurface were observed. Improved Mankin score was obtained to evaluatethe repairing effect.RESULTS:36rabbits were all alived. Experimental group: Grossanalyses showed that some ivory cartilage like tissues with less smoothedge covered on the caves. Microscopy revealed a good deal ofchondrocytes, arranging a little disorderly. And the porous tantalumscaffolds were fully filled with bone, the score is7.35. Simple group:Visible dim fibrous tissue repaired the defects, with rough surface,without luster, under pathologic disorder arranged chondrocytes andfibrosis periosteum were observed, and the score is9.49, P<0.05. Controlgroup: Visible dim fibrous tissue repaired the defects, with rough surface,without luster, under pathologic disorder arranged chondrocytes wereobserved, and the score is7.42. P>0.05.CONCLUSION: There is statistical significance between theexperimental group and the simple group(P<0.05). No significantdifference was reached, but porous tantalum supports better integrationwith the surrounding bone tissue than tricalcium phosphate.