European Journal of Anatomy

Official Journal of The Spanish Society of Anatomy
Cover Volume 5 - Number 1
Eur J Anat, 5 (1): 23-28 (2001)

Microanatomical study of replaced meniscus in the rabbit

Lesic A., Tatic V., Malobabic S., Bumbasirevic M.

Hadzi Melentija 8, 11000 Belgrade, Yugoslavia

ABSTRACT We investigated clinical and morphological characteristics of replaced menisci after the transplantation of deep frozen meniscal allografts. We replaced medial menisci (in 18 New Zealand white rabbits) by meniscal grafts obtained from other rabbits. These grafts were kept in a deep freezer (3-5 weeks), thawed in sterile saline and transplanted. The menisci were removed and studied after 2 weeks (first group), 8 weeks (second group) and after 36 weeks (third group). Menisci from non-operated, contralateral knees served as controls. The tissue of the menisci investigated was processed using several histological and histochemical methods and analyzed by light microscope. Transplanted meniscal allografts retained a normal gross appearance, healed firmly through fibrovascular tissue to the recipient capsular tissue, and did not show macroscopic pathological changes. At the histological evaluation, in the first group the collagen fibers were irregularly oriented, with a low cellular population. In the second group, blood vessels were present, cellular repopulation and immature collagen fibers being observed. The third group had a more mature collagen tissue, with a significant cell repopulation. Deep-frozen meniscal allografts showed significant collagen remodeling with cellular and vascular ingrowth from the surrounding synovia. This suggests that used allografts function normally and protect underlying cartilage.

Keywords: allograft, animal model, animal tissue, article, histology, knee injury, knee meniscus rupture, knee surgery, male, nonhuman, rabbit, surgical anatomy, surgical technique

European Journal of anatomy
ISSN 2340-311X (Online)