Reliability and Accuracy of the Outerbridge Classification in Staging of Cartilage Defects.

Objective: The decision on whether or not and how to treat a local cartilage defect is still made intraoperatively based on the visual presentation of the cartilage and findings from indentations with an arthroscopic probe. The treatment decision is then usually based on grading according to established classifications systems, which, therefore, need to have high reliability and accuracy. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the reliability and accuracy of the Outerbridge classification in staging cartilage defects.

Influence of hyaluronic acid on intra-articular friction - a biomechanical study in whole animal joints.

Background: Cartilage is a mechanically highly stressed tissue in the human body and an important part of synovial joints. The joint cartilage is lubricated by synovial fluid with hyaluronic acid (HA) as main component. However, in joints with osteoarthritis HA has a lower concentration and molecular weight compared to healthy joints.

[Surgical treatment of a symptomatic intra-articular osteoid osteoma (IAOO)].

The intra-articular osteoid osteoma (10% of cases) is a rare clinical finding. Based on atypical clinical signs and various radiological results the period to obtain a diagnosis and initiate the appropriate treatment is often very long. This case reports on a 32-year old female patient with knee pain on flexion and stress, which rarely occurred at night.

Differences in knee joint kinematics and forces after posterior cruciate retaining and stabilized total knee arthroplasty.

Background: Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) retaining (CR) and -sacrificing (PS) total knee arthroplasties (TKA) are widely-used to treat osteoarthritis of the knee joint. The PS design substitutes the function of the PCL with a cam-spine mechanism which may produce adverse changes to joint kinematics and kinetics.

Methods: CR- and PS-TKA were performed on 11 human knee specimens.