The natural history of the anterior cruciate ligament autograft of patellar tendon origin

A rabbit model for ACL reconstruction using autoge nous patellar tendon (PT) was used to study graft viability, its response to new physical forces, and the intrasynovial milieu. The autograft was assessed grossly, histologically, and biochemically with respect to time. Histologic observations demon...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of sports medicine 1986-11, Vol.14 (6), p.449-462
Main Authors: Amiel, David, Kleiner, Jeffrey B., Akeson, Wayne H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Physiological
Animals
Collagen - analysis
Desmosine - analogs & derivatives
Desmosine - analysis
Dipeptides - analysis
Glycosaminoglycans - analysis
Histidine - analogs & derivatives
Histidine - analysis
Ligaments, Articular - surgery
Male
Methods
Patella
Rabbits
Space life sciences
Tendons - analysis
Tendons - cytology
Tendons - transplantation
Time Factors
Transplantation, Autologous
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Summary:A rabbit model for ACL reconstruction using autoge nous patellar tendon (PT) was used to study graft viability, its response to new physical forces, and the intrasynovial milieu. The autograft was assessed grossly, histologically, and biochemically with respect to time. Histologic observations demonstrated that autografts were centrally acellular with a peripheral rim of cells at 2 weeks, and had a central focal proliferation of cells at 3 weeks and cellular homogeneity by 4 weeks pos toperation. Necrosis followed by cellular proliferation suggested that a population of cells other than the native PT fibroblasts may be inhabiting the graft. Graft sequestration experiments demonstrated that autografts are repopulated by cells of extrinsic origin after transplantation. Autografts showed a gradual as sumption of the microscopic properties of normal ACL; by 30 weeks posttransplant the tissue characteristics were ligamentous in appearance. Histologic changes paralleled the biochemical metamorphosis: Type III col lagen was not observed in PT; however, a gradual increase in its concentration was seen in the grafts; by 30 weeks its concentration (10%) was the same as in normal ACL. Similarly, glycosaminoglycan content in creased from its normally low level in PT to that found in native ACL. Collagen-reducible cross-link analysis revealed that grafted tissue changed from the normal PT pattern of low dihydroxylysinonorleucine and high histidinohydroxymerodesmosine to the opposite pat tern seen in normal ACL by 30 weeks. These data suggest that PT autografts undergo a process of "ligamentization" when placed in the ACL environment, and that cells responsible for this meta morphosis are of extragraft origin.
ISSN:0363-5465
1552-3365
DOI:10.1177/036354658601400603