RESUMO
Objective To validate if the continuous passive motion instrument we developed is practical and sta- ble for animal experiment.Methods Ten New Zealand male rabbits were used to establish the animal model of full- thickness defect of articular cartilage in the facies patellaris of femur with their both knees.The rabbits were then randomly divided into groups A and B(10 in each group).The rabbits in group A were administered with CPM of both knees daily for 4 weeks,while those in group B remained normal cage activity only.At the end of the treatment,all the animals were sacrificed,and their articular cartilage was harvested for HE staining and observation.Results It was found that group A had a significantly better repair of the full-thickness defects of articular cartilage than that of the group B,as reflected by the range of motion and morphological observation of the knees(P