Articular Cartilage Thickness of the Pediatric Knee: Implications for Cartilage Implantations

Abstract

Background: While access to pediatric tissue for cartilage conditions is limited, recent research on the use of pediatric cartilage tissue for implantation has shown promising results. These pediatric grafts may include bulk osteochondral allografts, morselized cartilage, or cellular manipulation products. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the parameters of cartilage thickness in different regions of the pediatric knee from a larger pediatric knee specimen research database. Methods: CT Scans of 12 skeletally immature knees ranging from ages 7 to 11 were evaluated. Cartilage thickness measurements were taking in the following regions: 1. Femoral Condyles - Cahill Zones 1, 2, 4, and 5 (Fig. 1) on coronal plane CT images, the region of greatest cartilage thickness on medial and lateral femoral condyles using coronal plane CT images, and Cahill Zones A, B, and C on sagittal plane CT images (Fig. 2). 2. Tibial Plateau – the region of greatest cartilage thickness identified on the medial and lateral sides of the tibial plateau using coronal plane CT images (Fig. 1). 3. Patella – the region of greatest cartilage thickness identified on axial and sagittal CT images (Fig. 3 and 4). Results: The cartilage on the medial femoral condyle had an average thickness of 4.86 mm ± 0.61 mm at its thickest point and the cartilage on lateral femoral condyle had an average thickness of 3.71 mm ± 0.52 mm at its thickest point. The cartilage on the medial tibial plateau had an average thickness of 2.80 mm ± 0.26 mm at its thickest point and the cartilage on the lateral tibial plateau had an average thickness of 3.29 mm ± 0.45 mm at its thickets point. The cartilage on the midpoints of Cahill zones 1, 2, 3, and 4 had an average thickness of 2.93 mm ± 0.62 mm, 3.42 mm ± 0.66 mm, 2.81 mm ± 0.46 mm, and 3.30 mm ± 0.73 mm respectively. The cartilage on the midpoints of Cahill zones A, B, and C had an average thickness of 3.81 mm ± 0.68 mm, 4.40 mm ± 0.49 mm, and 3.82 mm ± 0.68 mm respectively. The cartilage at its thickest point on the patella had an average thickness of 4.53 mm ± 0.38 mm from an axial view and 4.40 mm ± 0.49 mm from a sagittal view (Fig. 5 and 6). Conclusion: Pediatric knees demonstrate relatively thick cartilage regions in multiple zone of the knee, compared with adult specimens. Increasing access to and use of this tissue for cartilage grafts, non-manipulated tissue, and manipulated tissue offer significant opportunity to address cartilage loss. Osteochondral allograft procedures may benefit from access to such tissue, with relatively high volume and thickness of normal articular cartilage. [Figure: see text][Figure: see text][Figure: see text][Figure: see text][Figure: see text][Figure: see text]