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

  • Knee
  • Published:
Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy Aims and scope

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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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Shannon O’Connor, Holly Leddy, and Bridgette Furman for their assistance with the histological analysis and grading.

Conflict of interest statement

This work was supported by Active Implants Corporation.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research and Development Center, Active Implants Corporation, P.O. Box 8395, 42505, Netanya, Israel

    Gal Zur, Eran Linder-Ganz, Jonathan J. Elsner, Jonathan Shani, Ori Brenner & Avi Shterling

  2. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Assaf Harofe Medical Center, Zeriffin, Israel

    Gabriel Agar

  3. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, NY, USA

    Elliott B. Hershman

  4. Laboratory for Comparative Orthopaedic Research, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA

    Steven P. Arnoczky

  5. Departments of Surgery and Biomedical Engineering, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

    Farshid Guilak

Authors
  1. Gal Zur
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  2. Eran Linder-Ganz
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  3. Jonathan J. Elsner
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  4. Jonathan Shani
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  6. Gabriel Agar
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  7. Elliott B. Hershman
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eran Linder-Ganz.

Additional information

G. Zur and E. Linder-Ganz contributed equally to this work.

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Zur, G., Linder-Ganz, E., Elsner, J.J. et al. Chondroprotective effects of a polycarbonate-urethane meniscal implant: histopathological results in a sheep model. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 19, 255–263 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-010-1210-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-010-1210-5

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