%0 Journal Article
%T Tissue
%A Andrzej Brzezinski
%A Charles J. Gatt
%A Jay M. Patel
%A Michael G. Dunn
%A Salim A. Ghodbane
%J The American Journal of Sports Medicine
%@ 1552-3365
%D 2018
%R 10.1177/0363546517752668
%X Meniscus injuries and associated meniscectomies cause patients long-term pain and discomfort and can lead to joint deterioration. To evaluate a collagen-hyaluronan sponge reinforced with synthetic resorbable polymer fiber for total meniscus reconstruction in a long-term ovine model. Controlled laboratory study. Eleven skeletally mature sheep were implanted with the total meniscus scaffold. At 2 years, explants were evaluated biologically (radial/circumferential histology, immunofluorescence) and mechanically (compression, tension), and articular surfaces were examined for damage. The fiber-reinforced scaffold induced formation of functional neomeniscus tissue that was intact in 8 of 11 animals. The implant was remodeled into organized circumferentially aligned collagen bundles to resist meniscus hoop stresses. Moreover, type II collagen and proteoglycan deposition near the inner margin suggested a direct response to compressive stresses and confirmed fibrocartilage formation. Cartilage damage was observed, but end-stage (severe) joint deterioration associated with meniscectomy was avoided, even with limitations regarding the ovine surgical procedure and postoperative care. A fiber-reinforced total meniscus replacement device induces formation of functional neomeniscus tissue that has the potential to prevent catastrophic joint deterioration associated with meniscectomy. An off-the-shelf meniscus device that can be remodeled into functional tissue and thus prevent or delay the onset of osteoarthritis could address a widespread clinical need after meniscus injury
%K knee
%K meniscus
%K tissue engineering
%K biomechanics
%K general
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0363546517752668