OBJECTIVEto investigate if the cartilaginous surface and corresponding osseous contour of the patellofemoral joint match in the axial plane for providing theoretical basis with evaluating alignment of patellofemoral joint and designing the part of patellofemoral joint in knee prosthesis.

METHODSfrom January 2009 to March 2010, 9 human cadaver knees were prepared, which chandra of patellofemoral joint didn't degenerate. Each specimen was sectioned in the axial plane at 20° to 30° knee flax. The cross-sections revealed characteristics in the bony anatomy and corresponding articular surface geometry of the patellofemoral joint in the axial plane. Evaluating parameters included osseous patella congruence angle (OPCA), chondral patella congruence angle (CPCA), patella chondral convex point parameter (PCCPP), patella subchondral osseous convex point parameter (PSOCPP), the parameters of the deepest (chondral or osseous) point of the intercondylar sulcus. After that, the osseous and cartilaginous contours and subchondral osseous contours of the patella in the axial plane were analyzed through MRI data of 11 patients who didn't degenerate in patellofemoral joint cartilage. Parameters as same as cadaver knees were compared.

RESULTSdata from specimens of OPCA was (-4.5 ± 1.1)°, CPCA was (0.5 ± 0.8)°, PCCPP was 1.13 ± 0.11, PSOCPP was 1.67 ± 0.14, PCDPIS was 1.35 ± 0.28, PODPIS was 1.38 ± 0.33. Date from MRI of OPCA was (-3.8 ± 1.4)°, CPCA was (0.7 ± 1.0)°, PCCPP was 1.05 ± 0.21, PSOCPP was 1.73 ± 0.18, PCDPIS was 1.41 ± 0.21, PODPIS was 1.37 ± 0.27. The patella exhibited significant differences in the bony vs. chondral anatomy (P < 0.05), but the intercondylar sulcus nearly match in the bony vs. chondral anatomy.

CONCLUSIONSthe cartilaginous surface and corresponding osseous contour of the patella don't match in the patellofemoral joint axial plane, but that of the trochlea nearly matches. This is very important for accurately evaluating alignment of patellofemoral joint because the normal osseous alignment of patellofemoral joint don't represent the normal alignment and helpful for designing the part of patellofemoral joint in knee prosthesis.

Biomechanical Phenomena ; Cartilage, Articular ; anatomy & histology ; Femur ; anatomy & histology ; Humans ; Patella ; anatomy & histology ; Patellofemoral Joint ; anatomy & histology

OBJECTIVETo propose a new method for automatic segmentation of manually determined knee articular cartilage into 9 subregions for T2 measurement.

METHODSThe middle line and normal line were automatically obtained based on the outline of articular cartilage manually drawn by experienced radiologists. The region of articular cartilage was then equidistantly divided into 3 layers along the direction of the normal line, and each layer was further equidistantly divided into 3 segments along the direction of the middle line. Finally the mean T2 value of each subregion was calculated. Bland-Altman analysis was used to evaluate the agreement between the proposed and manual subregion segmentation methods.

RESULTSThe 95% limits of agreement of manual and automatic methods ranged from -3.04 to 3.20 ms, demonstrating a narrow 95% limits of agreement (less than half of the minimum average). The coefficient of variation between the manual and proposed subregion methods was 4.04%.

CONCLUSIONThe proposed subregion segmentation method shows a good agreement with the manual segmentation method and minimizes potential subjectivity of the manual method.

Adult ; Cartilage, Articular ; anatomy & histology ; Humans ; Knee Joint ; anatomy & histology ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: Dissecting adult cadaver's tragal cartilage and researching its clinical application in ear surgery. METHOD: Dissect the bilateral tragal cartilage of 22 adult cadavers immersed in formalin (both of male and female are 11). Measure and compute the average value of the length, width, thickness and area. Summarize autologous tragal cartilage's clinical application in ear surgery. RESULT: The statistic values of male tragal cartilage were: length (22.55 ± 0.89) mm, width (19.00 ± 1.09) mm, thickness (1.04 ± 0.09) mm, and area (315.70 ± 32.57) mm2. The statistic values of female respectively were (19.36 ± 0.86) mm, (15.73 ± 0.69) mm, (0.93 ± 0.06) mm, and (229.64 ± 13.97) mm2. Tragal cartilages were utilized in 419 middle ear surgeries in my department, including tympanoplasty(type I 189 cases, type II and III 116 cases), atticotomy (65 cases), and the repair of the lateral skull base (3 cases). The postoperative effect was satisfactory. CONCLUSION Tragal cartilage is in the operation region, which is convenient to be harvested and shaped. Hence, the donor can satisfy the requirement of general ear surgery and it is suitable for widely application in ear surgery.
Adult ; Cadaver ; Cartilage ; anatomy & histology ; Ear Auricle ; anatomy & histology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Otologic Surgical Procedures ; Tympanoplasty

OBJECTIVETo observe the origins and insertions of Pitanguy ligament,in order to find the anatomically theoretical basis for the treatment of nasal deformity such as drooping nose, short columella, gingival show.

METHODS15 cadaveric heads fixed by 10% formalin were used. 12 specimens underwent nasal anatomic study. The skin was incised, along the nasal midline to expose the Pitanguy ligament. The origin of Pitanguy ligament and its relationship with surrounding tissue were studied. Then the Pitanguy ligament was taken out for HE staining. Longitudinal section along the ligament was observed. 3 specimens underwent harvesting of full-thickness nasal tissue from skin to periosteal membrane. Then the samples were used for HE staining to show histologic study of ligament at horizontal section.

RESULTSPitanguy ligament originates in the midline of lower third of the nasal superficial musculoaponeurotic system, extends down to the tip along the midline of the nasal dorsum and then turns backwards at the nasal tip, and runs between the medial crura of the lower lateral cartilages, inserts into the base of columella. Its muscle is connected with the orbicularis oris muscle and the depressor septi nasi muscle. HE staining showed the ligament consists of fibrous connective tissue, muscle tissue and other ingredients, but without cartilage.

CONCLUSIONSPitanguy ligament exists with complex histological composition, so its name is still controversial. Because it has multiple connection with the orbicularis oris muscle and the depressor septi nasi muscle, so cutting or shortened the Pitanguy ligament can treat deformity of nose and lip by adjustment of nasolabial angles and the nasal length.

Cadaver ; Cartilage ; anatomy & histology ; Facial Muscles ; anatomy & histology ; Humans ; Ligaments ; anatomy & histology ; Lip ; anatomy & histology ; Nasal Septum ; anatomy & histology ; Nose ; anatomy & histology ; Nose Deformities, Acquired ; pathology ; surgery ; Subcutaneous Tissue ; anatomy & histology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the T2 values and knee thickness in healthy young adults using 3.0 T magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) .

METHODSTotally 40 volunteers(18-30 years old) with body mass index between 18.5-24.0 kg/m(2) were divided into two groups(22 men and 18 women) according to their gender. Also in addition, each group was divided into two subgroups(right knee and left knee) . The T2 values and the thickness of the areas on the medial condyle of femur, the lateral condyle of femur, the medial tibial plateau, the lateral tibial plateau, and the patella of the knee cartilage were measured.

RESULTSThe T2 values and the thickness of the right and left knee cartilages showed no significant differences between men and women (P>0.05) . Also, the T2 values in the five parts of the knee cartilage also were not significantly different between men and women (P>0.05) . However, the thickness of the 5 parts of the knee cartilage significantly differed between men and women(P<0.05) .

CONCLUSIONSThe thickness of the knee cartilage may different between male and female young adults. The T2 values of the cartilage may be not affected by the gender.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Cartilage, Articular ; anatomy & histology ; Female ; Humans ; Knee Joint ; anatomy & histology ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Sex Factors ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the capability and limitation of magnetic resonance image(MRI)for Lumbar zygapophyseal joint cartilage through comparing pig lumbar zygapophyseal joint cartilage acquired from multiple MRI sequences of a 1.5 Tesla MR and gross specimens. METHODS: Six fresh lumbar spines from adult pigs were sagittaly scanned by Siemens 1.5 Tesla MR. The scan sequences included fast spin echo T1-weighted imaging (FSE T1WI), fast spin echo T2-weighted imaging (FSE T2 weighted T2WI), fat saturation proton density-weighted imaging (FS PDWI), 3-dimensional fast low angle shot imaging (3D-FLASH), and water excitation 3-dimensional fast low angle shot imaging (WE 3D-FLASH). Each scan sequence acquired images from the same layer. The signal-noise ratio (SNR) for articular cartilage, contrast-noise ratio (CNR) for cartilage versus bone cortex, cartilage versus bone marrow, and cartilage versus saline were calculated. Right after the scanning, the lumbar spines were snap-frozen, incised sagittally along the midline lumbar zypapophyseal joints, and photographed to compare the gross specimens with corresponding MRIs. The thickness of sagittal midline center of 6 pairs of lumbar(L₃/L₄) zypapophyseal joint cartilage was measured by vernier caliper. The thickness of the back ventral articular cartilage was added and then compared with corresponding MR images. RESULTS: 3D-FLASH (FA 20°) and WE 3D-FLASH (FA 20°) sequences had significant advantages compared with other sequences in imaging lumbar zypapophyseal joint cartilage, and were mostly close to the real thickness.(1) Comparison of the 4 flip angle (FA 10°, FA 20°, FA 30°, and FA 40°) 3D-FLASH sequences:The highest cartilage SNR and best CNR of cartilage versus bone cortex were both found in the 3D-FLASH(FA 20°) sequence, which was significantly different from the other three 3D-FLASH sequences.The satisfactory CNR of cartilage versus bone marrow, cartilage versus saline were found more in the 3D-FLASH(FA 20°) sequence. (2) Comparison of the 4 flip angle(FA 10°, FA 20°, FA 30°, and FA 40°) WE 3D-FLASH sequences: the highest cartilage SNR,best CNR of cartilage versus bone cortex,and best CNR of cartilage versus bone marrow were found in the WE 3D-FLASH (FA 20°) sequence, which was significantly different from the other three 3D-FLASH sequences. The CNR of cartilage versus saline was found more satisfactory in the WE 3D-FLASH (FA 20°) sequence. (3) The highest cartilage SNR and best CNR of cartilage versus bone cortex were both found in the 3D-FLASH (FA 20°) sequence, which was significantly different from those in the PDWI, FSE T1WI,and FSE T2WI sequences (P<0.05), but with no significance (P>0.05) in the WE 3D-FLASH (FA 20°) sequence. The highest CNR of cartilage versus bone marrow was seen in WE 3D-FLASH (FA 20°) sequence. It was statistically significant compared with that in FS PDWI,FSE T1WI, and T2WI sequences respectively, but the difference was not significant compared with 3D-FLASH (FA 20°) sequence (P>0.05). Both the FS PDWI and T2WI sequences displayed ideal CNR of cartilage versus saline, with no significant difference (P>0.05). The lower SNR of cartilage versus saline was shown in 3D-FLASH (FA 20°) and WE 3D-FLASH (FA 20°) sequence, and the difference was not significant (P>0.05). However, they were significantly different compared with FS PDWI and T2WI sequences (P<0.05). (4) WE 3D-FLASH (FA 20°) and 3D-FLASH (FA 20°) sequences were relatively better than the FS PDWI when comparing the thickness of articular cartilage, which was significantly different from the FS PDWI sequence (P<0.05). CONCLUSION The 3D-FLASH sequence and derived WE 3D-FLASH sequence have better definition of cartilage images and are mostly close to the real thickness, which possibly are the optimal scanning sequences for lumbar zypapophyseal joint articular cartilage MR imaging.
Animals ; Cartilage, Articular ; anatomy & histology ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; anatomy & histology ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Swine ; Zygapophyseal Joint ; anatomy & histology

OBJECTIVE: There are many scaffold materials of repairing nasal alar cartilage defects. Auricuiar cartilage was used extensively in terms of its abundant tissues, good elasticity, little donor-site malformation, good plasticity etc. The authors dissected auricular cartilage and nasal alar cartilage, measured cartilage's morphous data and found some similar territories with nasal alar cartilage in the structure of auricular cartilage. METHOD: An anatomical study was performed using 10 adult cadavers acquired through Plastic Surgery Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China. Seven male and three female cadav-ers were included in the study. Harvest 20 auricular cartilage specimens and 20 nasal alar cartilage specimens. Then, Computed Tomography Scan on the auricular cartilage and nasal alar cartilage were performed. The datas were imported into mimics and three-dimensional reconstructions of the auricular cartilage and nasal alar cartilage were carried on. RESULT: Parts of the auricular cartilage, such as conchal fossa, tragus, intertragic notch, and cymba of auricular concha, curs of helix and curs of helix, triangular fossa, are ana-tomically similar to nasal alar cartilage. CONCLUSION This study reports the anatomy of auricular cartilage and nasal alar cartilage, found some territories in the auricular cartilage, such as conchal fossa, tragus, intertragic notch, and cymba of auricular concha, curs of helix and curs of helix, triangular fossa, are anatomically similar to nasal alar cartilage. This research provides the anatomical basis that auricular cartilage was used to repair the nasal cartilage defect.
Adult ; Cadaver ; Ear Auricle ; anatomy & histology ; Ear Cartilage ; anatomy & histology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Nasal Cartilages ; anatomy & histology ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

INTRODUCTIONThe end of medial opening oblique wedge high tibial osteotomy (HTO) points into a narrow area between the articular cartilage of the posterolateral proximal tibia and proximal tibiofibular joint (PTFJ) at the tibial site, which is an anatomical safe zone (ASZ) for osteotomy. We studied the ASZ and its relation to the fibular tip, including the level of posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) insertion, to avoid penetration into the knee and PTFJ, and PCL injury by osteotomy.

METHODSTen pairs of embalmed cadaveric legs were disarticulated at the knee joint and then examined. Soft tissues at the proximal tibia were removed. The posterior capsule of the PTFJ was incised to identify the articular cartilage of the PTFJ at the tibial site. The height of the fibular tip and the thickness of the ASZ were measured and calculated to determine the relationship between the ASZ and fibular tip. The level of PCL insertion was measured from the posterior articular surface of the proximal tibia to the distal attachment of the PCL.

RESULTSThe average height of the fibular tip and the thickness of the ASZ were 5.43 ± 1.53 mm and 4.12 ± 1.60 mm, respectively. On average, the fibular tip was 1.31 ± 1.28 mm higher than the ASZ, and the level of PCL insertion was 10.10 ± 1.88 mm.

CONCLUSIONTo ensure safety during medial opening oblique wedge HTO, the end of osteotomy should point accurately into the ASZ at a level just below the fibular tip as reference. Proximal osteotomy thickness should not be less than 10 mm at the level of PCL insertion.

Cadaver ; Cartilage, Articular ; surgery ; Fibula ; anatomy & histology ; Humans ; Knee ; anatomy & histology ; Knee Joint ; anatomy & histology ; Middle Aged ; Osteotomy ; instrumentation ; methods ; Posterior Cruciate Ligament ; anatomy & histology ; Tibia ; anatomy & histology ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo observe the changes of bone histomorphometry parameters in condyle of rabbits during mandibular forward positioning.

METHODSForty rabbits with eight weeks of age were simple randomly divided into the experimental group (n = 24) and control group (n = 16).Mandibles of rabbits in the experimental groups were induced to forward position by a functional appliance.The experimental group and control group were sacrificed after 2 and 4, 8, 12 weeks.The specimens from right tempromandibular joints were processed for undemineralised sections.These sections were used for fluorescent microscopy observation and the measurement of bone histomorphometry.

RESULTSAt 8 week bone-volume fraction [(75.83 ± 1.10)%], trabecular thickness [(103.28 ± 2.89) µm], trabecular number [(2.86 ± 0.06) mm(-1)], mineral apposition rate [(2.32 ± 0.02) µm/d] and index of osteoblast [(30.20 ± 0.47) N/mm(2)] in subchondral region of the cartilage in the experimental group were significantly increased compared with the age-matched controls [respectively (64.00 ± 1.54)%, (87.00 ± 1.13) µm, (1.84 ± 0.08) mm(-1), (1.69 ± 0.02) µm/d and (21.07 ± 0.59) N/mm(2)] (P < 0.05). However, trabecular separation [(170.00 ± 2.25) µm] was lower than those in the controls [(241.50 ± 1.57) µm] with significant difference(P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the bone histomorphometry parameters of the central region between the experimental group and the age-matched control group (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe pattern of bone histomorphometry parameters expression in subchondral region has a high correlation with the adaptive remodeling of the condyle after functional appliance.

Animals ; Cartilage ; anatomy & histology ; growth & development ; Female ; Male ; Mandibular Advancement ; Mandibular Condyle ; anatomy & histology ; growth & development ; Orthodontic Appliances, Functional ; Rabbits ; Random Allocation

OBJECTIVETo observe the effects of warm needling moxibustion on body mass, knee cartilage andmorphology in rats with knee osteoarthritis (KOA).

METHODSForty SD rats were randomly divided into a normalgroup, a model group, a medication group and a warm needling group, 10 rats in each one. Except the normalgroup, the rats in the remaining three groups were injected with papain to establish the model of KOA. After themodeling, rats in the model group did not receive any treatment; rats in the warm needling group were treated withwarm needling moxibustion at bilateral "Xiqian"; rats in the medication group were treated with intragastric administration of meloxicam; rats in the normal group were treated with 0. 9% NaCl solution (identical dose as medication group) and immobilized as the warm needling group. The treatment was given once a day for consecutive20 days. The body mass, scale of knee cartilage and morphological changes were observed in each group after'treatment.

RESULTSThe increasing of body mass in the medication group and warm needling group was faster than!that in the model group, but slower than that in the normal group (all P<0. 05); the difference between medication group and warm needling group was not statistically significant (P>0. 05). The scale of knee cartilage in thewarm needling group and medication group was significantly lower than that in the model group (both P<0. 05),while the scale in the warm needling group was lower than that in the medication group (P<. 05). Regarding theknee morphology under micro-CT, the relief of knee degeneration and improvement of knee recovery in the warm needlinggroup were superior to those in the medication group.

CONCLUSIONThe warm needling moxibustion could effectively reduce the knee pain, improve the recovery of knee cartilage, which is a safe and effective treatment.

Acupuncture Points ; Animals ; Cartilage ; anatomy & histology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Humans ; Knee Joint ; anatomy & histology ; Male ; Moxibustion ; Osteoarthritis, Knee ; therapy ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Treatment Outcome