[Interposition arthroplasty with pedicled island fascia flap. Experimental study and clinical application]

Interposition arthroplasty of knee joint, using island fascia flap, was performed on 90 rabbits. The fascia flap was vessel pedicled in 54 rabbits and not vessel pedicled in 36 for control. Results of the vessel pedicled island fascia flaps showed that clinically, the range of joint motion was 142.5 degrees on the average. Histologically, the transplanted fascia showed good vascularity and elasticity. There were no signs of adhesion or degeneration. Analogous cartilage appeared in 12 to 15 months. In the control group, the average joint motion was 83.61 degrees and the transplanted fascia showed degeneration of varying degree in each cases. On the basis of these experimental findings, we performed interposition arthroplasty with vessel-pedicled island fascia flap on 20 patients suffering from different joint diseases. The joints were 14 hips, 3 knees, and 3 elbows. Follow-up for 9 to 48 months after arthroplasty revealed clear-up of previous troubles with satisfactory function.