Introduction. Hoffa fractures are rare, intra-articular fractures of the femoral condyle in the coronal plane and involving the weight-bearing surface of the distal femur. Surgical fixation is warranted to achieve stability, early mobilisation and satisfactory knee function. We describe a unique type of Hoffa fracture in the coronal plane with sagittal split and intra-articular comminution. There is scant evidence in current literature with regards to surgical approaches, techniques and implants. We report of our case with a review of the literature. Case report. A 40 year old male motorcyclist was involved in a high speed road traffic collision. X-rays confirmed displaced unicondylar fracture of the lateral femoral condyle. CT showed sagittal split of the Hoffa fragment and intra-articular comminution. MRI showed partial rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament. The patient underwent definitive surgical treatment via a midline skin incision and lateral parapatellar approach using cannulated screws, headless compression screws and anti-glide plate. Weightbearing was commenced at 8 weeks. Arthroscopy and adhesiolysis was performed at 12 weeks to improve range of motion. The patient was discharged at one year with a pain-free, functional knee. Discussion. Hoffa fractures are high-energy fractures, often seen in young male motorcyclists with flexed and slightly abducted knee. Most papers recommend surgical fixation, however there is no widely accepted surgical method or rehabilitation regime. Varying surgical approaches, screw direction, choice of implants, and post-operative care have been described. Surgical approach depends on the configuration of the fracture. The medial/lateral parapatellar approach is commonly used as it does not compromise future arthroplasty, but it does not allow access to fix posterior comminution. Arthroscopic-assistance may be used with good outcomes and less tissue dissection. AP screws are widely reported in the literature, most likely due to easier access to the fracture site. PA screws may provide better stability, but access is more difficult. Fixation often involves passing screws through the articular surface, therefore the area damaged should be kept to a minimum by using the smallest possible screw; headless compression screws leave a smaller footprint in the articular cartilage. Locking plate augmentation generally gives good outcomes. Conclusion. Hoffa fractures are rare and difficult to treat. Surgical treatment is the best choice for optimum post-operative knee function. There is no consensus on choice of surgical approaches, techniques and implants, as these are dependent on fracture configuration. In this particular case we emphasise the importance of using an anti-glide plate to address the sagittal component. Despite the need for a secondary procedure, the treatment has had positive outcomes and may be used as a guide for treatment of future Hoffa fractures of a similar sub-type

Chondral defects in the knee have cartilage biomechanical differences due to defect size and orientation. This study examines how the tibiofemoral contact pressure is affected by increasing full-thickness chondral defect size on the medial and lateral condyle at full extension. Isolated full-thickness, square chondral defects increasing from 0.09cm. 2. to 1.0cm. 2. were created sequentially on the medial and lateral femoral condyles of six human cadaveric knees with intact ligaments and menisci. Chondral defects were created 1.0cm from the femoral notch posteriorly. The knees were fixed to a uniaxial load frame and loaded from 0N to 600N at full extension. Contact pressures between the femoral and tibial condyles were measured using pressure mapping sensors. The peak contact pressure was defined as the highest value in the 2.54mm. 2. area around the defect. The location of the peak contact pressure was determined relative to the centre of the defect. Peak contact pressure was significantly different between (4.30MPa) 0.09cm. 2. and (6.91MPa) 1.0cm. 2. defects (p=0.04) on the medial condyle. On the lateral condyle, post-hoc analysis showed differences in contact pressures between (3.63MPa) 0.09cm. 2. and (5.81MPa) 1.0cm. 2. defect sizes (p=0.02). The location of the stress point shifted from being posteromedial (67% of knees) to anterolateral (83%) after reaching a 0.49cm. 2. defect size (p < 0.01) in the medial condyle. Conversely, the location of the peak contact pressure point moved from being anterolateral (50%) to a posterolateral (67%) location in defect sizes greater than 0.49cm. 2. (p < 0.01). Changes in contact area redistribution and cartilage stress from 0.49cm. 2. to 1.0cm. 2. impact adjacent cartilage integrity. The location of the maximum stress point also varied with larger defects. This study suggests that size cutoffs exist earlier in the natural history of chondral defects, as small as 0.49cm. 2. , than previously studied, suggesting a lower threshold for intervention

The objectives of the study were to investigate demographic, injury and surgery/treatment-associated factors that could influence clinical outcome, following Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (ACI) in a large, “real-world”, 20 year longitudinally collected clinical data set. Multilevel modelling was conducted using R and 363 ACI procedures were suitable for model inclusion. All longitudinal post-operative Lysholm scores collected after ACI treatment and before a second procedure (such as knee arthroplasty but excluding minor procedures such as arthroscopy) were included. Any patients requiring a bone graft at the time of ACI were excluded. Potential predictors of ACI outcome explored were age at the time of ACI, gender, smoker status, pre-operative Lysholm score, time from surgery, defect location, number of defects, patch type, previous operations, undergoing parallel procedure(s) at the time of ACI, cell count prior to implantation and cell passage number. The best fit model demonstrated that for every yearly increase in age at the time of surgery, Lysholm scores decreased by 0.2 at 1-year post-surgery. Additionally, for every point increase in pre-operative Lysholm score, post-operative Lysholm score at 1 year increased by 0.5. The number of cells implanted also impacted on Lysholm score at 1-year post-op with every point increase in log cell number resulting in a 5.3 lower score. In addition, those patients with a defect on the lateral femoral condyle (LFC), had on average Lysholm scores that were 6.3 points higher one year after surgery compared to medial femoral condyle (MFC) defects. Defect grade and location was shown to affect long term Lysholm scores, those with grade 3 and patella defects having on average higher scores compared to patients with grade 4 or trochlea defects. Some of the predictors identified agree with previous reports, particularly that increased age, poorer pre-operative function and worse defect grades predicted poorer outcomes. Other findings were more novel, such as that a lower cell number implanted and that LFC defects were predicted to have higher Lysholm scores at 1 year and that patella lesions are associated with improved long-term outcomes cf. trochlea lesions

Introduction and Objective. TKA have shown both excellent long-term survival rate and symptoms and knee function improvement. Despite the good results, the literature reports dissatisfaction rates around 20%. This rate of dissatisfaction could be due to the overstuff that mechanically aligned prostheses could produce during the range of motion. Either size discrepancy between bone resection and prosthetic component and constitutional mechanical tibiofemoral alignment (MTFA) alteration might increase soft tissue tension within the joint, inducing pain and functional limitation. Materials and Methods. Total knee arthroplasties performed between July 2019 and September 2020 were examined and then divided into two groups based on the presence (Group A) or absence (Group B) of patellofemoral overstuff, defined as a thickness difference of more than 2 mm between chosen component and bone resection performed, taking into account at least one of the following: femoral medial and lateral condyle, medial or lateral trochlea and patella. Based on pre and post-operative MTFA measurements, Group A was further divided into two subgroups whether the considered alignment was modified or not. Patients were assessed pre-operatively and at 6 months post-op using the Knee Society Score (KSS), Oxford Knee Score (OKS), Forgotten Joint Score (FJS), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Range of Motion (ROM). Results. One hundred total knee arthroplasties were included in the present study, 69 in Group A and 31 in group B. Mean age and BMI of patients was respectively 71 and 29.2. The greatest percentage of Patellofemoral Overstuff was found at the distal lateral femoral condyle. OKS, KSS functional score, and FJS were statistically significant higher in patients without Patellofemoral Overstuff. Therefore, Group A patients with a non-modified MTFA demonstrated statistically significant better KSS, ROM and FJS. Conclusions. Patellofemoral Overstuff decrease post-operative clinical scores in patients treated with TKA. The conventional mechanically aligned positioning of TKA components might be the primary cause of prosthetic overstuffing leading to worsened clinical results. Level of evidence: III; Prospective Cohort Observational study;

Background:. The term ‘resident's ridge’ originated from trans-tibial ACL reconstruction where a bony ridge on the medial surface of the lateral femoral condyle was mistakenly thought to represent the posterior articular margin of the condyle. This was then mistakenly used to position the ‘over the top’ guide resulting in graft malposition. With anatomical anteromedial ACL reconstruction some surgeons use the same ridge to define the anterior margin of the ACL femoral insertion in order to guide graft placement. However there is debate about whether this ridge is a consistent and reliable anatomical structure. There are no anatomical studies that define the features of the ‘resident's ridge’. Therefore, our aim was to identify whether the ‘resident's ridge’ is a consistent anatomical structure in non-operated human cadaveric femoral specimens. Methods:. Using a digital microscribe, we mapped the medial surface of the lateral femoral condyle in cadaveric human femora denuded of soft tissue. This technique creates an exact 3D model of surfaces and from this we evaluated whether there was an identifiable bony ‘residents ridge’. 23 cadaveric specimens were used. Results:. All 23 specimens had a defined identifiable ridge on the medial surface of the lateral femoral condyle. When viewed anatomically, the proximal extent of the ridge lies at the superior junction of the articular margin and the femoral shaft. From this point, the ridge forms an oblique line travelling proximal-to-distal and anterior-to-posterior to a point approximately 30–40% anterior to the posterior articular margin. The ridge therefore divides the medial surface into anterior 2/3. rd. and posterior 1/3. rd. when viewed anatomically. Conclusion:. This study shows that the “resident's ridge” is a consistent anatomical structure that defines the anterior margin of the ACL insertion. This therefore supports its use as a landmark for femoral tunnel placement in ACL reconstruction surgery

Background:. The Lateral Intercondylar Ridge (LIR) gained notoriety with arthroscopic trans-tibial Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) reconstruction where it was mistakenly used to position the ‘over the top’ guide resulting in graft malposition. With anatomic ACL reconstruction some surgeons use the same ridge to define the anterior margin of the ACL femoral insertion in order to guide graft placement. However there is debate about whether this ridge is a consistent and reliable anatomical structure. The aim of our study was to identify whether the LIR is a consistent anatomical structure and to define its relationship with the femoral ACL insertion. Methods:. In the first part, we studied 23 dry bone specimens. Using a digital microscribe, we created a 3D model of the medial surface of the lateral femoral condyle to evaluate whether there was an identifiable bony ridge. In the second part, we studied 7 cadaveric specimens with soft tissues intact. The soft tissues were dissected to identify the femoral ACL insertion. A 3D reconstruction of the femoral insertion and the surface allowed us to define the relationship between the LIR and the ACL insertion. Results:. All specimens (23 dry bones; 7 intact soft tissues) had a defined ridge on the medial surface of the lateral femoral condyle. The ridge extends from the apex point of the lateral intercondylar notch, where the posterior condyle meets the femoral shaft, and extends obliquely to the articular margin. The mean distance from the midpoint of the posterior condylar articular margin was 10.1 mm. The ridge was consistently located just anterior to the femoral ACL insertion. Conclusion:. This study shows that the LIR is a consistent anatomical structure that defines the anterior margin of the femoral ACL insertion. This supports its use as a landmark for femoral tunnel placement in ACL reconstruction surgery. Abstract 28

We evaluated two reconstruction techniques for a simulated posterolateral corner injury on ten pairs of cadaver knees. Specimens were mounted at 30° and 90° of knee flexion to record external rotation and varus movement. Instability was created by transversely sectioning the lateral collateral ligament at its midpoint and the popliteus tendon was released at the lateral femoral condyle. The left knee was randomly assigned for reconstruction using either a combined or fibula-based treatment with the right knee receiving the other. After sectioning, laxity increased in all the specimens. Each technique restored external rotatory and varus stability at both flexion angles to levels similar to the intact condition. For the fibula-based reconstruction method, varus laxity at 30° of knee flexion did not differ from the intact state, but was significantly less than after the combined method. Both the fibula-based and combined posterolateral reconstruction techniques are equally effective in restoring stability following the simulated injury

In this study a combination of autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) and the osteochondral autograft transfer system (OATS) was used and evaluated as a treatment option for the repair of large areas of degenerative articular cartilage. We present the results at three years post-operatively. Osteochondral cores were used to restore the contour of articular cartilage in 13 patients with large lesions of the lateral femoral condyle (n = 5), medial femoral condyle (n = 7) and patella (n = 1). Autologous cultured chondrocytes were injected underneath a periosteal patch covering the cores. After one year, the patients had a significant improvement in their symptoms and after three years this level of improvement was maintained in ten of the 13 patients. Arthroscopic examination revealed that the osteochondral cores became well integrated with the surrounding cartilage. We conclude that the hybrid ACI/OATS technique provides a promising surgical approach for the treatment of patients with large degenerative osteochondral defects

Carbonate-substituted hydroxyapatite (CHA) is more osteoconductive and more resorbable than hydroxyapatite (HA), but the underlying mode of its action is unclear. We hypothesised that increased resorption of the ceramic by osteoclasts might subsequently upregulate osteoblasts by a coupling mechanism, and sought to test this in a large animal model. Defects were created in both the lateral femoral condyles of 12 adult sheep. Six were implanted with CHA granules bilaterally, and six with HA. Six of the animals in each group received the bisphosphonate zoledronate (0.05 mg/kg), which inhibits the function of osteoclasts, intra-operatively. After six weeks bony ingrowth was greater in the CHA implants than in HA, but not in the animals given zoledronate. Functional osteoclasts are necessary for the enhanced osteoconduction seen in CHA compared with HA

There has been only one limited report dating from 1941 using dissection which has described the tibiofemoral joint between 120° and 160° of flexion despite the relevance of this arc to total knee replacement. We now provide a full description having examined one living and eight cadaver knees using MRI, dissection and previously published cryosections in one knee. In the range of flexion from 120° to 160° the flexion facet centre of the medial femoral condyle moves back 5 mm and rises up on to the posterior horn of the medial meniscus. At 160° the posterior horn is compressed in a synovial recess between the femoral cortex and the tibia. This limits flexion. The lateral femoral condyle also rolls back with the posterior horn of the lateral meniscus moving with the condyle. Both move down over the posterior tibia at 160° of flexion. Neither the events between 120° and 160° nor the anatomy at 160° could result from a continuation of the kinematics up to 120°. Therefore hyperflexion is a separate arc. The anatomical and functional features of this arc suggest that it would be difficult to design an implant for total knee replacement giving physiological movement from 0° to 160°

Despite high success rates following total knee arthroplasty (TKA), knee kinematics are altered following TKA. Additionally, many patients report that their reconstructed knee does not feel ‘normal’ [1], potentially due to the absence of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), an important knee stabilizer and proprioceptive mechanism. ACL-retaining implants have been introduced with the aim of replicating native knee kinematics, however, there has yet to be a detailed comparison between knee kinematics in the native knee and one reconstructed with an ACL-retaining implant. Six fresh-frozen right legs (77±10 yr, 5 male) were mounted in a kinematic rig and subjected to squatting (40°-105°) motions. The vertical positon of the hip was manipulated with a linear actuator to induce knee flexion while the quadriceps were loaded with an actuator to maintain a vertical load of 90 N at the ankle [2]. Medial/lateral hamstring forces were applied with 50 N load springs. During testing, an infrared camera system recorded the trajectories of spherical markers rigidly attached to the femur and tibia. Two trials were performed per specimen. Following testing on the native knee, specimens were implanted with an ACL-retaining TKA (Vanguard XP, Zimmer Biomet) and all trials were repeated. Three inlay thicknesses were tested to simulate optimal balancing as well as over- (1 mm thicker) and understuffing (1 mm thinner) relative to the optimal thickness. Pre-operative computed tomography scans allowed identification of bony landmarks and marker orientation, which were used define anatomically relevant coordinate systems. The recorded marker trajectories were transformed to anatomical translations/rotations and resampled at increments of 1° of knee flexion. Translations of the medial and lateral femoral condyle centers were scaled to maximum anterior-posterior (AP) width of the medial and lateral tibial plateau, respectively. For all kinematics, statistical analysis between knee conditions was conducted using repeated measures ANOVA in increments of 10° knee flexion. Internal rotation of the tibia was significantly lower (p<0.05) for the three reconstructed conditions relative to the native knee at flexion angles of 60° and below. No significant differences in tibial rotation were observed between the balanced, overstuffed, or understuffed conditions. The varus orientation was not significantly influenced by implantation, regardless of inlay thickness, for all flexion angles. At 40° flexion, the AP position of the femoral medial condyle was significantly more anterior for the native knee relative to the balanced and understuffed conditions. This finding was not significant for the other flexion angles. No significant differences were found for the lateral condyle center AP position at any flexion angle. Preservation of the cruciate ligaments during total knee arthroplasty may allow better physiologic representation of knee kinematics. The implants tested in this study were able to replicate kinematics of the native knee, except for tibial rotation and AP position of the medial femoral condyle in early knee flexion. Interestingly, the impact of inlay thickness was generally small, suggesting some tolerance in the choice of inlay thickness

Aims

This study intended to investigate the effect of vericiguat (VIT) on titanium rod osseointegration in aged rats with iron overload, and also explore the role of VIT in osteoblast and osteoclast differentiation.

We hypothesized that using the navigation system, intra-operative knee kinematics after implantation measured may predict that post-operative kinematic in activities of daily living. Our aim was to compare intra-operative knee kinematics by a computed tomography (CT)-based navigation system and post-operative by the 2- to 3-dimensional registration techniques (2D3D). This study were performed for 8 patients (10 knees, medial osteoarthritis) who underwent primary PS TKA using CT-based navigation system. The median follow-up period from operation date to fluoroscopic surveillance date was 13 months (range 5 – 37 months). Navigation and 2D3D had a common coordinate origin for components. Medial and lateral femoral condyle anterior-posterior translation (MFT and LFT) were respectively defined as the distance of the projection of the points (which was set on the top of the posterior femoral pegs) onto the axial plane of the tibial coordinate system. Intraoperative kinematics was measured using the navigation system after final implantation and closure of the retinaculum during passive full flexion and extension imposed by the surgeon. Under fluoroscopic surveillance in the sagittal plane, each patient was asked to perform sequential deep knee flexion under both weight bearing (WB) and non-weight bearing (NWB) conditions from full extension to maximum flexion. Repeated two-way ANOVA (tasks × flexion angles) were used, and then post-hoc test (paired t-tests with Boferroni correction) were performed. The level of statistical significant difference was set at 0.05 on two-way ANOVAs and 0.05 / 3 on post-hoc paired t-tests. Mean range of motion between femoral and tibial components were Intra-operative (Intra): 28.0 ± 9.7, NWB conditions: 120.6 ± 11.1, WB conditions: 125.1 ± 12.9°, respectively. Mean ER (+) / IR (−) from 0° to 120° were Intra-operative (Intra): 9.3 ± 10.2°, NWB conditions: 8.1 ± 8.9, WB conditions: 5.2 ± 7.0, respectively. Mean MFT /LFT from 0° to 90° were Intra; 4.4 ±14.8/ 4.2± 8.5mm, NWB; 6.2 ± 6.9 / 9.2 ± 3.1 mm, WB; 9.2 ± 3.5 / 7.4 ± 2.8 mm, respectively. Mean MFT /LFT from 90° to 120° were Intra; −4.4 ± 2.5 / −5.7 ± 2.9 mm, NWB; −5.5 ± 1.8 / −8.2 ± 0.6 mm, WB; −4.0 ± 1.9 / −5.4 ± 2.3mm, respectively. Mean ADD/ABD from 0° to 120° were Intra;-4.2 ± 3.0, NWB; −0.2 ± 2.1, WB; −0.1 ± 0.8, respectively. Repeated two-way ANOVA showed a significant all interaction on kinematic variables (p<0.05). No statistically significant difference at post-hoc test was found in ER/ IR of all tasks and MFT /LFT of Intra vs NWB and Intra vs WB from 0° to 120° (p>0.05 / 3). The Conditions of these tasks were different from each others. Our study demonstrated that intra-operative kinematics could predict post-operative kinematics

We studied active flexion from 90° to 133° and passive flexion to 162° using MRI in 20 unloaded knees in Japanese subjects. Flexion over this arc is accompanied by backward movement of the medial femoral condyle of 4.0 mm and by backward movement laterally of 15 mm, i.e., by internal rotation of the tibia. At 162° the lateral femoral condyle lies posterior to the tibia

MRI studies of the knee were performed at intervals between full extension and 120° of flexion in six cadavers and also non-weight-bearing and weight-bearing in five volunteers. At each interval sagittal images were obtained through both compartments on which the position of the femoral condyle, identified by the centre of its posterior circular surface which is termed the flexion facet centre (FFC), and the point of closest approximation between the femoral and tibial subchondral plates, the contact point (CP), were identified relative to the posterior tibial cortex. The movements of the CP and FFC were essentially the same in the three groups but in all three the medial differed from the lateral compartment and the movement of the FFC differed from that of the CP. Medially from 30° to 120° the FFC and CP coincided and did not move anteroposteriorly. From 30° to 0° the anteroposterior position of the FFC remained unchanged but the CP moved forwards by about 15 mm. Laterally, the FFC and the CP moved backwards together by about 15 mm from 20° to 120°. From 20° to full extension both the FFC and CP moved forwards, but the latter moved more than the former. The differences between the movements of the FFC and the CP could be explained by the sagittal shapes of the bones, especially anteriorly. The term ‘roll-back’ can be applied to solid bodies, e.g. the condyles, but not to areas. The lateral femoral condyle does roll-back with flexion but the medial does not, i.e. the femur rotates externally around a medial centre. By contrast, both the medial and lateral contact points move back, roughly in parallel, from 0° to 120° but they cannot ‘roll’. Femoral roll-back with flexion, usually imagined as backward rolling of both condyles, does not occur

Introduction. Anteromedial osteoarthritis of the knee (anteromedial gonarthrosis-AMG) is a common form of knee arthritis. In a clinical setting, knee arthritis has always been assessed by plain radiography in conjunction with pain and function assessments. Whilst this is useful for surgical decision making in bone on bone arthritis, plain radiography gives no insight to the earlier stages of disease. In a recent study 82% of patients with painful arthritis had only partial thickness joint space loss on plain radiography. These patients are managed with various surgical treatments; injection, arthroscopy, osteotomy and arthroplasty with varying results. We believe these varying results are in part due to these patients being at different stages of disease, which will respond differently to different treatments. However radiography cannot delineate these stages. We describe the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) findings of this partial thickness AMG as a way of understanding these earlier stages of the disease. Method. 46 subjects with symptomatic partial thickness AMG underwent MRI assessment with dedicated 3 Tesla sequences. All joint compartments were scored for both partial and full thickness cartilage lesions, osteophytes and bone marrow lesions (BML). Both menisci were assessed for extrusion and tear. Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) integrity was also assessed. Osteophytes were graded on a four point scale in the intercondylar notch and the lateral margins of the joint compartments. Scoring was performed by a consultant radiologist and clinical research fellow using a validated MRI atlas with consensus reached for disagreements. The results were tabulated and relationships of the interval data assessed with linear by linear Chi2 test and Pearson's Correlation. Results. All cases had medial femoral cartilage loss; 22% partial and 78% full thickness. 79% showed medial tibial loss, however in no cases was there medial tibial loss without femoral loss. 10 cases had lateral compartment partial thickness cartilage loss. Again, there was no tibial loss without femoral loss present. Increasing size of intercondylar notch osteophyte is associated with increasing ACL damage (p=0.001). Independent to this, increasing ACL damage is associated with lateral femoral condyle cartilage loss (p=0.002). Throughout the knee the incidence of BMLs increased with increasing cartilage loss (p=0.025). Only 13% of medial menisci were normal. As meniscal damage increases, so does the incidence of BMLs in the same compartment (p=0.03). Discussion. We describe the MRI findings of early AMG with partial thickness joint space loss. In all cases there was medial femoral loss, either with or without tibial loss. We believe the disease begins on the medial femoral condyle and progresses through the joint in stages. Later stages are associated with damage to the other structures in the knee, such as the meniscus and the ACL. Damage to the ACL is associated with increasing osteophytosis. This description is the first step in describing the stages of early AMG. Description of these stages is important since we believe the outcome of surgical intervention may be dependant on these and they may guide future therapy

Objectives

Preservation of both anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) can lead to near-normal post-operative joint mechanics and improved knee function. We hypothesised that a patient-specific bicruciate-retaining prosthesis preserves near-normal kinematics better than standard off-the-shelf posterior cruciate-retaining and bicruciate-retaining prostheses in TKA.

Objectives

Sustained intra-articular delivery of pharmacological agents is an attractive modality but requires use of a safe carrier that would not induce cartilage damage or fibrosis. Collagen scaffolds are widely available and could be used intra-articularly, but no investigation has looked at the safety of collagen scaffolds within synovial joints. The aim of this study was to determine the safety of collagen scaffold implantation in a validated in vivo animal model of knee arthrofibrosis.

Objectives

Metabolic syndrome and low-grade systemic inflammation are associated with knee osteoarthritis (OA), but the relationships between these factors and OA in other synovial joints are unclear. The aim of this study was to determine if a high-fat/high-sucrose (HFS) diet results in OA-like joint damage in the shoulders, knees, and hips of rats after induction of obesity, and to identify potential joint-specific risks for OA-like changes.

We evaluated the histological changes before and after fixation in ten knees of ten patients with osteochondritis dissecans who had undergone fixation of the unstable lesions. There were seven males and three females with a mean age of 15 years (11 to 22). The procedure was performed either using bio-absorbable pins only or in combination with an autologous osteochondral plug. A needle biopsy was done at the time of fixation and at the time of a second-look arthroscopy at a mean of 7.8 months (6 to 9) after surgery.

The biopsy specimens at the second-look arthroscopy showed significant improvement in the histological grading score compared with the pre-fixation scores (p < 0.01). In the specimens at the second-look arthroscopy, the extracellular matrix was stained more densely than at the time of fixation, especially in the middle to deep layers of the articular cartilage.

Our findings show that articular cartilage regenerates after fixation of an unstable lesion in osteochondritis dissecans.