[Repair of the articular cartilage, using biological material (experimental study).]

With regard to the unsatisfactory results of hitherto used methods for the treatment of damaged articular cartilage the autors focused their attention in experimental work on the transplantation of autogenous periosteum and perichondrium into artificially induced defects of the hyaline cartilage of the knee joint in the dog. Thirty-six such implantations were performed, seven defects were left as controls without implantion and in five instances, also serving as controls, a fascia was implanted. The dogs were sacrificed two months after operation, the preparations were described, the area filled with neocartilage was assessed and the newly formed tissue was subjected to histological examination. The results of the experiment indicate clearly the advantages of the described method, as compared with findings where the defects were not treated. The authors discuss the advantages and pitfalls of the described transplantation and its possible use in orthopaedics and traumatology. Key words: hyaline cartilage, transplantation of the periosteum and perichondrium, neocartilage, hyaline-like cartilage.