Healing of full-thickness cartilage compared with full-thickness cartilage and subchondral bone defects in the equine third carpal bone.
Abstract: The effect of lesion depth on the quality of third carpal bone cartilage repair was examined. A 1-cm diameter articular defect penetrating the calcified cartilage in one limb and the subchondral bone plate in the opposite limb was created in the radial facet of the third carpal bones. Clinical and xeroradiographic examinations were performed every 4 weeks until 4 months (3 horses) and 6 months (3 horses) after surgery. The synovial membrane, non-opposing articular surfaces and articular defects were examined grossly, histologically and histochemically. Grossly, deeper defects contained thicker, whiter tissue, but both joints contained generalised degenerative changes. Defects extending through calcified cartilage were filled deeply by fibrocartilage and superficially by fibrous connective tissue. Defects extending through subchondral bone were consistently filled with hyaline-like cartilage in the depths of the lesion, fibrocartilage in the intermediate layer and fibrous connective tissue superficially. The results indicate that subchondral bone is the source of hyaline-like cartilage repair tissue and suggest that quality of healing of cartilage defects may be improved by penetrating the subchondral bone plate. It also appears that the synovitis associated with the procedure must be controlled before the procedure can be advocated for treatment of clinical cases.
Publication Date: 1992-09-01 PubMed ID: 1396513DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.1992.tb02860.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Comparative Study
- Journal Article
- Anatomy
- Articular Cartilage
- Bones
- Carpal Joint
- Cartilage
- Cells
- Clinical Pathology
- Clinical Study
- Clinical Symptoms
- Diagnosis
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Etiology
- Disease Treatment
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Histology
- Horses
- In Vivo
- Inflammation
- Injury
- Joint Health
- Radiology
- Subchondral Bone
- Surgery
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Procedure
- Veterinary Research
Summary
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The researchers studied how the depth of cartilage damage in a horse’s carpal bone affects healing, suggesting that deeper defects produce higher quality repair tissue, and potentially better healing results.
Research Methodology
- This study aimed to investigate the impact of lesion depth on the healing quality of third carpal bone cartilage. It examined the repair of two types of articular defects in the radial facet of the third carpal bone, one that penetrated the calcified cartilage and one that reached the subchondral bone plate.
- The defects had a diameter of one centimeter, with one type created in one limb and the other in the opposite limb of an equine subject.
- Clinical assessments were made through regular xeroradiographic examinations every four weeks. This part of the study continued for four months with three horses and six months with three other horses.
Findings and Analysis
- The findings showed that the deeper defects, those that extended to the subchondral bone, contained thicker and whiter tissue. On top of this, both types of injuries showed signs of general degenerative changes.
- The defects that only extended through the calcified cartilage were filled deeply with fibrocartilage and a superficial layer of fibrous connective tissue.
- However, defects extending to the subchondral bone showed more complex healing layers. The deep layer consisted of hyaline-like cartilage, the intermediate layer was filled with fibrocartilage, and the topmost level was fibrous connective tissue.
Implications and Recommendations
- The findings suggested that subchondral bone serves as the source of hyaline-like cartilage repair tissue. This raised the possibility of improved treatment outcomes for healing cartilage defects by penetrating the subchondral bone plate.
- The research highlighted that controlling synovitis, inflammation of the synovial membrane typically associated with arthritis, is an essential pre-requisite before this proposed treatment could be recommended for widespread use in clinical cases.
Cite This Article
APA
Hanie EA, Sullins KE, Powers BE, Nelson PR.
(1992).
Healing of full-thickness cartilage compared with full-thickness cartilage and subchondral bone defects in the equine third carpal bone.
Equine Vet J, 24(5), 382-386.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.1992.tb02860.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Leesburg, VA 22075.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Bone Regeneration
- Carpus, Animal / injuries
- Carpus, Animal / physiology
- Cartilage, Articular / injuries
- Cartilage, Articular / physiology
- Horses / injuries
- Horses / physiology
- Random Allocation
- Wound Healing
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Gao L, Cucchiarini M, Madry H. Cyst formation in the subchondral bone following cartilage repair. Clin Transl Med 2020 Dec;10(8):e248.
- Akens MK, von Rechenberg B, Bittmann P, Nadler D, Zlinszky K, Auer JA. Long term in-vivo studies of a photo-oxidized bovine osteochondral transplant in sheep. BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2001;2:9.
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