RESURFACING OF FEMORAL HEAD IN DOG

A.Rezaei, Ph.D., D.Sharifi, M.V.Sc,Ph.D., D.Savadkouhi, M.D, R.Sadkhanloo, Ph,D, and M.Rezeayan, Ph.D

Due to unsatisfactory end results of periosteal, chondrocyte and osteochondral grafts, the foetal skull bone as a biological graft due to it's pleuripotent calvarium was investigated. This study was conducted on 15 clinically healthy dogs, weighing 15 to 25 kg/BW with 1 to 2 years of age. They were divided into 3 groups of 5 animals each. The foetal skull bone of 45 days old was collected from a pregnant bitch via cesarean method. The cartilage of left femoral head was removed by a dental bit in all animals. Group I acted as control where as in group II, resurfacing was done by using foetal skull bone which was fixed by 0.8mm cerclage wire. In group III it was done similar to group II and the hip joint was fixed with 2 mm steinmann pin. On day of 60 before collection of graft sample, the femoral head was quite smooth and slippy in group I & II and rough and uneven in group III animals. Microscopically there was a single row of chondrocyte and in some part cluster of cells in group I and the complete and uniform hyaline cartilage in group II animals . The fibrocartilage and mixture of connective tissues in group III animals. The results indicate the foetal skull bone can orient itself into cartilaginous tissues on articular surface with normal joint motion. This result is from research work supported by Tehran University Research Council, Tehran Iran and Tabriz Azad University, Tabriz, Iran.