Weightbearing ovine osteochondral defects heal with inadequate subchondral bone plate restoration: implications regarding osteochondral autograft harvesting

摘要

It is unknown what causes donor site morbidity following the osteochondral autograft transfer procedure or how donor sites heal. Contact pressure and edge loading at donor sites may play a role in the healing process. It was hypothesized that an artificially created osteochondral defect in a weightbearing area of an ovine femoral condyle will cause osseous bridging of the defect from the upper edges, resulting in incomplete and irregular repair of the subchondral bone plate.