Clinical, histologic, and radiographic outcomes of distal femoral resurfacing with hypothermically stored osteoarticular allografts.

Background: Fresh osteoarticular allograft transplantation has a long history of clinical success. These grafts have typically been implanted less than 1 week from donor asystole.

Hypothesis: Osteoarticular allografts stored 4 to 6 weeks represent a viable alternative to treat full-thickness cartilage and osteochondral defects of the distal femur as measured by clinical, histologic, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) criteria.

Cryopreservation prevents arterial allograft dilation.

Historically, immune-mediated degradation and subsequent aneurysm formation have limited the usefulness of cryopreserved arterial allografts. This study tested the hypothesis that modern cryopreserved arterial allografts are protected from immune-mediated dilation. Abdominal aortas were harvested from anesthetized rats (Lewis and Brown-Norway) for immediate implantation or cryopreservation.