Local Morphological Response of the Distal Femoral Articular-Epiphyseal Cartilage Complex of Young Foals to Surgical Stab Incision and Potential Relevance to Cartilage Injury and Repair in Children.
Abstract: Describe the local morphological response of the articular-epiphyseal cartilage complex to surgical stab incision in the distal femur of foals, with emphasis on the relationship between growth cartilage injury, enchondral ossification, and repair. Methods: Nine foals were induced into general anesthesia at the age of 13 to 15 days. Four full-thickness stab incision defects were created in the cartilage on the lateral aspect of the lateral trochlear ridge of the left distal femur. Follow-up examination was carried out from 1 to 49 days postoperatively, including examination of intact bones, sawed slabs, and histological sections. Results: Incision defects filled with cells displaying fibroblast-, chondrocyte-, and osteoblast-like characteristics, potentially validating the rationale behind the drilling of stable juvenile osteochondritis dissecans lesions in children. Incisions induced necrosis within the cartilage on the margins at all depths of the defects. Sharp dissection may therefore be contraindicated in cartilage repair in young individuals. Incisions caused a focal delay in enchondral ossification in 2 foals, apparently related to the orientation of the incision defect relative to the direction of ossification. Defects became progressively surrounded by subchondral bone, in which granulation tissue containing clasts and foci of osteoblast-like cells was observed. Continued enchondral ossification was therefore likely to result in healing of uncomplicated defects to morphologically normal bone. Conclusions: Epiphyseal growth cartilage injury had the potential to exert a negative effect on enchondral ossification. Enchondral ossification exerted a beneficial effect on repair. This relationship warrants consideration in future studies of cartilage injury and repair within the articular-epiphyseal cartilage complex of all species.
Publication Date: 2013-07-01 PubMed ID: 26069670PubMed Central: PMC4297086DOI: 10.1177/1947603513480024Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research examines how surgical incisions on the cartilage of young foals’ distal femur influences the growth, damage, ossification and restoration process. The study suggests important implications for the repair of cartilage injuries in children.
Study Methodology
- The researchers utilized nine foals aged between 13 and 15 days for the experiment. The foals were put under general anesthesia.
- Four full-thickness incisions were made on the cartilage on the lateral aspect of the left distal femur, to explore the local response to injury.
- Follow-ups were conducted from 1 to 49 days after the operation, with examinations of the intact bones, sawed slabs and histological sections.
Research Results
- The incisions were filled with cells that characteristic of fibroblasts, chondrocytes, and osteoblasts. This may provide validation for the technique of drilling stable juvenile osteochondritis dissecans lesions in children.
- However, it was also found that the incisions led to necrosis within cartilage at the margins at all depths of the defects. This suggests that sharp dissection may not be advisable for cartilage repair in young organisms.
- In two of the foals, the incisions resulted in a localized delay in enchondral ossification. This appeared to be related to the alignment of the incision relative to the direction of ossification.
- Over time, the defects were increasingly surrounded by subchondral bone. Granulation tissue with clasts and osteoblast-like cells was observed. This process suggested that in uncomplicated cases, enchondral ossification could lead to the healing of defects back to morphologically normal bone.
Conclusion of the Study
- Findings revealed that injury to the growth cartilage can negatively impact enchondral ossification – the process transforming cartilage to bone in developmental stage.
- However, enchondral ossification can exert a positive effect on the repair of the articular-epiphyseal cartilage complex – a crucial part of the joint structure.
- The researchers suggested this interplay between injury and repair within the articular-epiphyseal cartilage complex deserves further investigation in all species, including human.
Cite This Article
APA
Olstad K, Hendrickson EH, Ekman S, Carlson CS, Dolvik NI.
(2013).
Local Morphological Response of the Distal Femoral Articular-Epiphyseal Cartilage Complex of Young Foals to Surgical Stab Incision and Potential Relevance to Cartilage Injury and Repair in Children.
Cartilage, 4(3), 239-248.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1947603513480024 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Equine Section, Department of Companion Animal Clinical Sciences, Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, Oslo, Norway.
- Equine Section, Department of Companion Animal Clinical Sciences, Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, Oslo, Norway.
- Division of Pathology, Department of Biomedicine and Veterinary Public Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, USA.
- Equine Section, Department of Companion Animal Clinical Sciences, Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, Oslo, Norway.
Conflict of Interest Statement
Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
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