Strong adhesiveness of a new biodegradable hydrogel glue, LYDEX, for use on articular cartilage.

Aim: Until recently, only fibrin glue has been available for clinical usage to repair articular cartilage, although its adhesiveness is not strong enough for use with articular cartilage, and it is derived from human blood and thus carries the risk of contamination. Recently, LYDEX, a new biodegradable hydrogel glue, has come onto the market. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the adhesive strength and cytotoxicity of LYDEX when used on articular cartilage.

Treatment of cartilage defects by subchondral drilling combined with covering with atelocollagen membrane induces osteogenesis in a rat model.

Background: The coverage of the atelocollagen membrane at the chondral defect after subchondral drilling might improve the beneficial effects for cartilage repair because of the prevention of scattering and accumulation of cells and growth factors from bone marrow within the chondral defect. On the other hand, it might block cells and factors derived from the synovium or cause high pressure in the chondral defect, resulting in prevention of cells and growth factors gushing out from the bone marrow, which leads to disadvantages for cartilage repair.

Method: We tested this hypothesis in a 2-mm-diameter chondral defect created in the articular cartilage of the patellar groove in a rat models.

Augmentation technique for anterior cruciate ligament injury.

The augmentation technique for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury has started to receive the attention of orthopedic surgeons because preservation of the ACL remnant may be beneficial in terms of proprioception, biomechanical functions, and vascularization of the graft. This article describes the current indications and surgical techniques of ACL augmentation for patients with continuity of ACL remnant between the tibia and either the femur or posterior cruciate ligament (PCL).

Characteristic shape of the lateral femoral condyle in patients with osteochondritis dissecans accompanied by a discoid lateral meniscus.

Background: There are various indirect signs of a discoid lateral meniscus in radiographs, for example lateral joint space widening, hypoplasia of the LFC, etc. There has, however, been no previous report of the characteristic shape of the lateral femoral condyle (LFC) in patients with osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) accompanied by a discoid lateral meniscus. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the characteristic shape of the LFC in patients with OCD accompanied by a discoid lateral meniscus, and sex differences associated with the shape of the LFC in those patients.

New hamstring fixation technique for medial collateral ligament or posterolateral corner reconstruction using the mosaicplasty system.

In this study, we describe a new hamstring fixation technique with a bone graft using the Mosaicplasty system for the reconstruction of the medial collateral ligament (MCL) or posterolateral corner (PLC) of the knee. In this technique, a cylindrical bone plug (6.5 mm in diameter, 15 mm in length) is harvested from the anatomical femoral attachment of the MCL or popliteal tendon using the Mosaicplasty system.