Perichondrial autograft for articular cartilage. Shear modulus of neocartilage studied in rabbits

Perichondrial autografts were used for the repair of large, full-thickness articular cartilage defects in the rabbit medial femoral condyle. The effects of duration of implantation and activity were studied by evaluating the neocartilage mechanically and morphologically. The complex shear moduli for the neocartilage were found to increase during the 26 weeks' observation time. Complete filling of the defect with neocartilaginous tissue was seen in a total of 24 successful experimental samples. It appeared that in the initial 6 weeks passive motion applied intermittently for 2 weeks enhanced the formation of quality neocartilage, i.e., the magnitude of the complex shear moduli was higher than those nontreated. However, these differences disappeared when longer time periods were considered.