Effect of ultrasound in repair of rabbit articular cartilage injury / 中华创伤杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To observe the effect of low intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPU) in repair of the articular cartilage injury in rabbits. Methods Osteochondral defects in the cartilage surfaces of femoral intercondylar fossae were made in 33 healthy adult New Zealand White rabbits, of which the knee lesions of the left hind legs were treated with LIPU (LIPU group) while that of the right ones used as control group. All animals in two groups were sacrificed respectively at the 2nd, 4th and 8th weeks postoperatively for gross appearance observation and histological examination. Results The ultrasound-treated tissues became more mature with in advance repair or regeneration. The repaired tissues in the LIPU group were near to normal hyaline cartilage tissues at the 8th week postoperatively, while the repaired tissues in the control group were weak, near to fibrocartilaginous tissues. Conclusion LIPU can promote repair of articular cartilage injury in rabbits.