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Heterogeneity of tibial plateau cartilage in response to a physiological compressive strain rate
Author(s) -
Deneweth Jessica M.,
Newman Kelly E.,
Sylvia Stephen M.,
McLean Scott G.,
Arruda Ellen M.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of orthopaedic research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.041
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1554-527X
pISSN - 0736-0266
DOI - 10.1002/jor.22226
Subject(s) - meniscus , cartilage , osteoarthritis , cadaveric spasm , biomechanics , plateau (mathematics) , medial meniscus , strain (injury) , lateral meniscus , anatomy , tibia , materials science , medicine , biomedical engineering , orthodontics , mathematics , anterior cruciate ligament , pathology , geometry , mathematical analysis , alternative medicine , incidence (geometry)
Knowledge of the extent to which tibial plateau cartilage displays non‐uniform mechanical topography under physiologically relevant loading conditions is critical to evaluating the role of biomechanics in knee osteoarthritis. Cartilage explants from 21 tibial plateau sites of eight non‐osteoarthritic female cadaveric knees (age: 41–54; BMI: 14–20) were tested in unconfined compression at 100% strain/s. The elastic tangent modulus at 10% strain ( E 10% ) was calculated for each site and averaged over four geographic regions: not covered by meniscus (I); covered by meniscus—anterior (II); covered by meniscus—exterior (III); and covered by meniscus—posterior (IV). A repeated‐measures mixed model analysis of variance was used to test for effects of plateau, region, and their interaction on E 10% . Effect sizes were calculated for each region pair. E 10% was significantly different ( p < 0.05) for all regional comparisons, except I–II and III–IV. The regional pattern of variation was consistent across individuals. Moderate to strong effect sizes were evident for regional comparisons other than I–II on the lateral side and III–IV on both sides. Healthy tibial cartilage exhibits significant mechanical heterogeneity that manifests in a common regional pattern across individuals. These findings provide a foundation for evaluating the biomechanical mechanisms of knee osteoarthritis. © 2012 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 31: 370–375, 2013