CLINICAL USE OF FREE AUTOTRANSPLANTATION OF PERICHONDRIUM IN THE REPAIR OF THE ARTICULAR SURFACES / 解放军医学杂志

ABSTRACT

From March 1982 through December 1083, free transplantation of the perichondrium was used to repair the cartilagenous surface of interphalangeal joints in 5 cases of traumatic comminuted fracture. Of these 5 cases, the injury involved proximal interphalangeal joint of index fingers in 2 cases, proximal interphalangeal joint of the middle finger in 2, and carpometacarpal joint of the thumb in 1. The perichondrium was harvested from the 8th or 9th costal synchondrosis.X-ray film showed growth of new smooth cartilage surface, and the movement of the joints ranging from 10 to 30 degrees was observed 3 months after operation. Points to be observed in operation are (1) About 0.5 cm of the recipient site of the phalange should be bitten away to expose the cancellous bone, thus a surface with better blood supply was created to receive the perichondrial transplant; (2) The recipient surface was reshaped into an articular surface so that no dead space was left between the recipient surface and the graft (3) The transplanted perichondrium should be anchored onto the bone under certain amount of tension to insure close contact with the bony surface; (4) Immobilization should be enforced for 3 weeks post-operatively.