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.