The efficacy of open-wedge high tibial osteotomy for varus knee / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To introduce the biplanar opening high tibial osteotomy with rigid fixation for adult varus knee.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twelve patients with varus knee and degeneration of medial compartment received the biplanar opening high tibial osteotomy between June 2001 and July 2008. The pre-operative deformity was about 11.5 degrees without osteoarthritis changes in other compartments. The average range of motion was more than 90 degrees . One of the patients had ruptures of LCL and ACL, who received osteotomy after reconstruction of the ligaments. The main symptom before the operation was pain in medial compartment. The range of motion, Lysholm score and subjective satisfactory examinations were assessed before and after the osteotomy.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All of the osteotomy sites were healed at twelve to sixteen weeks after operation. No complications such as plate broken or injury of nerve or blood vessel had occurred. The mean correct angle was 9.5 degrees . No degenerative changes had developed in other compartments of the knee. The mechanical axis of the lower extremities was maintained during the follow-up. The overall satisfactory rate was 83.3%. Statistically significant changes exist in the Lysholm score and varus degree.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The open-wedge high tibial osteotomy is suitable for the symptomatic genu varum in younger patients with good short-term and mid-term results.</p>

Repair full-thickness meniscal defects with injectable tissue engineering technique / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effectiveness of injectable tissue engineering to repair full-thickness meniscal defects.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From June 2008 to February 2009 full-thickness of meniscal defects were created in the anterior corner of goats, which with no blood supply, in a diameter of 2 mm. Then bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) was mixed with injectable calcium alginate gel to fill the defects. Other groups include the calcium alginate gel and empty group were served as control groups. At different time points, the animals were sacrificed and macroscopy, microscopy determination, electroscopy and MRI detection were performed to assess the outcomes of repairing.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The meniscal defects had been filled thoroughly in 16 weeks after operation with white, tough and elastic repair tissue similar to normal meniscal fibrocartilage in the tissue engineering groups. The repair tissue was mainly fibrochondrocytes in line with the calcium alginate fiber. Thick matrix secreted by the cells crammed the space between fibers. The view under electroscopy demonstrated that the microstructure of the repair tissue was normal and cells were in a fibrocartilage phenotype.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The full-thickness meniscal defects in regions without blood supply can be reconstructed effectively with injectable tissue engineering.</p>