Osteochondral Graft Size Is Significantly Associated With Increased Force and Decreased Chondrocyte Viability

Insertion force has been shown to significantly reduce chondrocyte viability during osteochondral allograft transplantation. How graft size influences the required insertion force and chondrocyte viability has yet to be determined. Hypothesis/Purpose: The purpose was to characterize how graft size influences insertion force requirements and chondrocyte viability during osteochondral transplantation. The hypothesis was that larger grafts would require greater force and reduce chondrocyte viability.

Controlled laboratory study.

Four graft sizes-15 × 5 mm, 15 × 10 mm, 25 × 5 mm, and 25 × 10 mm (diameter × depth)-were harvested from 13 thawed fresh-frozen human cadaveric distal femurs. Average, maximum, and cumulative force and number of impacts were recorded for 44 grafts by a surgical mallet embedded with a calibrated force sensor. In a separate experiment, fresh osteochondral tissues were subjected to mechanical loading. To capture a range of clinically important forces, categories were selected to correspond to impaction force data. Chondrocyte viability was assessed with confocal laser microscopy and live/dead staining.

Total force for all grafts averaged 4576 N. Median number of impacts for all grafts was 20 (range, 7-116). The mean number of impacts for 5-mm-deep grafts was 14.2 (95% CI, 10.8-18.6), as compared with 26.3 (95% CI, 19.9-34.4) for 10-mm-deep grafts ( P < .001). The mean cumulative force for 5-mm-deep grafts was 2128 N (95% CI, 1467-3087), as opposed to 4689 N (95% CI, 3232-6803) for 10-mm-deep grafts ( P = .001). For every 1 mm in graft depth, an average of 13.1% (95% CI, 6.2%-20.3%) more impacts are required when controlling for diameter and density ( P < .001). For every 1 mm in graft depth, the force required increases on average by 17.1% (95% CI, 7.7%-27.4%) when controlling for diameter and density ( P = .001). There was a significant reduction in chondrocyte viability for the forces required for graft thickness values >10 mm. Only forces associated with graft thickness <10 mm had chondrocyte viabilities consistently >70%.

Insertion force increases significantly with increasing graft depth. Controlling for diameter and bone density, a 1-mm increase in graft depth is associated with 13.1% more impacts and 17.1% more force. Chondrocyte viability was significantly reduced to <70% at average forces associated with grafts thicker than 10 mm.

Based on the current data, graft depth is an important consideration for surgeons when sizing osteochondral allograft transplant for chondral lesions of the knee.