Effect of intraarticular stainless steel implants on the health of the rabbit knee joint: an experimental study.

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate the histologic changes to the knee joints of rabbits after insertion of a metal implant in retrograde fashion. Eighteen rabbits had a modified stainless steel screw implanted in one knee, with the other knee serving as a sham-operated control. The animals were killed after two, six, or twelve months. The histologic status of the cartilage and synovium were graded by the Modified Mankin and Mirra criteria, respectively. At the time of killing, every insertion site was covered by fibrous tissue. Statistical analysis showed no significant differences in histologic scores between implanted and control knees. Insertion of a stable, well-fixed implant results in no deleterious effect to the knee joint.