Surface fissures in articular cartilage: effect of pathological changes in synovial fluid.

Objective: A unified mathematical model of two different modes of inception of fissures at the surface of articular cartilage in healthy and pathological joints.

Design: The superficial tangential zone of articular cartilage is modeled as a three-phase medium consisting of collagen fibers, matrix, and of infiltrated thin constituent of synovial fluid.

Background: The author's general mesomechanical concept is applied to the analysis of deterioration of articular cartilage.

Surface fissures in articular cartilage: new concepts, hypotheses and modeling.

Objective: Clarification and mesomechanical modeling of the inception of fissures at the surface of articular cartilage.

Design: Articular cartilage is described as a macroscopically heterogeneous medium consisting of zones - layers - with different orientation of collagen fibers.

Background: Degradation of mechanical properties of cartilage is a serious, still not fully clarified problem that deserves attention.