Role of Simple Cold Storage in Preventing Epiphyseal Growth Plate Impairment after Replantation Surgery in Immature Rats

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of ischemia time on longitudinal bone growth after replantation, and to evaluate the usefulness of simple cold storage of an amputated limb in preventing epiphyseal growth-plate impairment. A hind-limb replantation model was produced with 5-week-old rats after various ischemia times. With more than 6 hr of warm ischemia, growth disturbance was observed, and extensive necrosis was histologically apparent in the central region of the growth plate of the proximal tibia, even at 1 week postoperatively. Destruction of the growth plate was complete at 4 weeks after surgery. By simple cold storage of the amputated limb, growth disturbance was not observed, even following ischemia for 9 hr, and no abnormal findings were observed histologically. Segmental necrosis and destruction of the growth plate observed histologically suggested the possibility of indirect impairment of the epipyseal chondrocytes due to disturbance of the epiphyseal arterial system, attributable to ischemia. The study confirmed experimentally that cold storage of the amputated part may prevent longitudinal bone-growth disturbance after extension of ischemia time.