The aim of this study was to evaluate macroscopically and histologically healed osteochondral defects, also known as repairs. Six adult, male, New Zealander White rabbits were used. Cylindrical osteochondral defects of 3.2 mm in diameter by 4.0 mm in depth were artificially created in the load-bearing surfaces of both medial femoral condyles. The osteochondral graft collected from the left knee (untreated defect) was implanted in the right knee (treated defect). Both defects were compared macroscopically ad histologically after twelve weeks. The macroscopic evaluation of all defects demostrated evolution in repairs called "biologically acceptable". The "biologically acceptable" term was used to define repairs, that at macrocospic observation, presented as neo-formed tissue similar to fibrocartilage, brilliant, smooth, firm, in continuity with the adjacent cartilage. As all the defects, treated and untreated, were macroscopically similar, a histological comparative study was made to verify which type of repair tissue was formed in the surface of both defects. By histologic analysis of the biologically acceptable repairs, the authors conclude that: treated defects with autologous grafts were filled with hyaline cartilaginous tissue and untreated defects were filled with fibrocartilaginous tissue.
Knee; Autologous transplantation; Articular cartilage; Rabbit
