Altered Internal Strain Distributions in Adult Ovine Cartilage Before and After Full- Thickness Cartilage Defect

摘要

Articular cartilage and surrounding soft tissues in the knee are important to normal joint function. However, disease, trauma, and progressive degeneration can alter the function of the joint, often changing the distributions of tissue deformation through the tissues of the knee [1], and lead to advanced osteoarthritis [2]. Knowledge of the mechanical properties of the soft tissues in the knee is important to characterize both normal and damaged joints. Additionally, the ability to restore the strain distribution of damaged regions to accepted normal values could be used as a measure of success of a tissue engineering solution. Noninvasive imaging technologies, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), can be used to study normal tissue, detect tissue damage, and monitor both degeneration and the progress of repair treatments.