Survival and development of reimplanted fetal epiphyses. An experimental study

An experiment was undertaken to study the survival and development of fetal epiphyses after excision and reimplantation in rats. The proximal part of fibula in the hindlimb was dissected free from surrounding tissues and then reimplanted again. Of 80 fetuses that were operated on, nine that had been operated on survived to birth. Histological examination on the hindlimbs of these rats at four and six weeks after birth showed that the reimplanted segments survived, and the bony nuclei of the epiphyses were present. Radiographically, at 6 weeks old, secondary centres of ossification at proximal ends of the fibulas could be seen in both operated and normal limbs. These results indicate the clinical possibility of correcting congenital musculoskeletal abnormalities in the future by in utero transplantation of epiphyses.