Surgical correction of joint deformities and hyaline cartilage regeneration
Aim. To determine a method of extra-articular osteochondral fragment formation for the improvement of surgical correction results of joint deformities and optimization of regenerative conditions for hyaline cartilage. Materials and Methods. The method of formation of an articular osteochondral fragment without penetration into the joint cavity was devised experimentally. More than 30 patients with joint deformities underwent the surgery. Results. During the experiments, we postulated that there may potentially be a complete recovery of joint defects because of hyaline cartilage regeneration. By destructing the osteochondral fragment and reforming it extra-articularally, joint defects were recovered in all patients. The results were evaluated as excellent and good in majority of the patients. Conclusion. These findings indicate a novel method in which the complete recovery of joint defects due to dysplastic genesis or osteochondral defects as a result of injuries can be obtained. The devised method can be used in future experiments for objectification and regenerative potential of hyaline cartilage (e.g., rate and volume of the reformed joints that regenerate, detection of cartilage elements, and the regeneration process).