Prolonged Storage Effects on the Articular Cartilage of Fresh Human Osteochondral Allografts

by Seth K. Williams, David Amiel, Scott T. Ball, R. Todd Allen, Van W. Wong, Albert C. Chen, Robert L. Sah, and William D. Bugbee

J Bone Joint Surg AmVolume 85(11):2111-2120

November 1, 2003

©2003 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc.

A human femoral hemicondyle with an osteochondral plug with a diameter of 15 mm that was removed as described.

Seth K. Williams et al. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2003;85:2111-2120

©2003 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc.

A human femoral condyle (left) and a schematic diagram of the condyle (right) showing six circles numbered 1 through 6, which represent the six osteochondral plugs obtained from each

femoral condyle.

Seth K. Williams et al. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2003;85:2111-2120

©2003 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc.

Confocal microsopy images of the osteochondral plugs made after storage for different time-periods.

Seth K. Williams et al. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2003;85:2111-2120

©2003 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc.

After storage for seven days, the chondrocytes were all stained green, meaning that they were all viable.

Seth K. Williams et al. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2003;85:2111-2120

©2003 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc.

After storage for fourteen days, the majority of the chondrocytes stained green, indicating viability, and a few stained red, indicating nonviability.

Seth K. Williams et al. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2003;85:2111-2120

©2003 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc.

After storage for twenty-eight days, slightly more than half of the chondrocytes stained green, indicating viability, whereas the others stained red, indicating nonviability.

Seth K. Williams et al. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2003;85:2111-2120

©2003 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc.

A bar graph depicting the percentage of chondrocyte viability.

Seth K. Williams et al. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2003;85:2111-2120

©2003 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc.

A bar graph depicting the chondrocyte viable cell density in cells per cubic millimeter.

Seth K. Williams et al. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2003;85:2111-2120

©2003 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc.

A bar graph depicting the 35SO4 uptake in counts per minute (CPM) per milligram dry weight of cartilage, representing chondrocyte metabolic activity.

Seth K. Williams et al. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2003;85:2111-2120

©2003 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc.

A bar graph depicting the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content in the percentage of hexosamine per unit dry weight of cartilage.

Seth K. Williams et al. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2003;85:2111-2120

©2003 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc.