Abstract
The fibrocartilaginous menisci dwell between the articular surfaces of the knee and play a crucial role in healthy joint loading. They transmit forces, absorb shock, and enhance the stability of the joint. Traumatic injury and/or degenerative changes disrupt the mechanical function of these tissues. These changes can lead to the early onset and accelerate the development of osteoarthritis. The current standard treatment is meniscectomy, or resection of the damaged portion of the meniscus, a procedure that fails to regenerate normal knee mechanics or prevent the initiation of osteoarthritic cascades. Because of the high prevalence of meniscal injury, a repair strategy is needed that restores meniscus mechanical function in orthopedic medicine. To develop strategies and technologies for replacing damaged or diseased meniscus with tissue engineered, we have to understand the biomechanics of the menisci. The meniscus tissue biomechanics depends on the meniscus anatomy, microstructure, the amount of water it contains, biochemistry, and many features. Besides the properties of a biomechanical point of normal meniscal tissue allograft, the meniscus has also important biomechanical characteristics of degenerative meniscus mechanisms besides mechanisms of injury. Undoubtedly, this information may be important for artificial meniscus study.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Arnoczky S, Dodds J, Wickiewics T (1996) Basic science of the knee. Lippincott-Raven Publishers, Philadelphia, p 29
Fithian DC MD, Kelly MA MD, Mow VC PD (1990) Material properties and structure-function relationships in the menisci. Clin Orthop Relat Res 252:19–31
Rath E, Richmond JC (2000) The menisci: basic science and advances in treatment. Br J Sports Med 34:252–257
Voloshin AS, Wosk J (1983) Shock absorption of meniscectomized and painful knees: a comparative in vivo study. J Biomed Eng 5:157–161
Arnoczky SP, Adams MF, DeHaven K et al (1988) The meniscus. In: Woo SI-Y, Buckwalter I (eds) NIAM5/AAOS workshop on the injury and repair of musculoskeletal soft tissues. Am Acad Orthop Surg, Park Ridge, 487–537
Adams ME, Hukins DWL (1992) The extracellular matrix of the meniscus. Knee meniscus: basic and clinical foundations. Raven Press, New York, pp 15–28
Ghosh P, Taylor TKF (1987) The knee joint meniscus. A fibrocartilage of some distinction. Clin Orthop 224:52–63
McDevitt CA, Weber RJ (1990) The ultrastructure and biochemistry of meniscal cartilage. Clin Orthop 252:8–18
Arnoczky SP, Warren RF (1982) Microvasculature of the human meniscus. Am J Sports Med 10:90–95
Fox AJ, Bedi A, Rodeo SA (2012) The basic science of human knee menisci: structure, composition, and function. Sports Health 4:340–351
Arnoczky SP, Warren RF (1983) The microvasculature of the meniscus and its response to injury—an experimental study in the dog. Am J Sports Med 11:131–141
O’Connor BL (1984) The mechanoreceptor innervation of the posterior attachments of the lateral meniscus of the dog knee joint. J Anat 138(Pt 1):15–26
O’Connor BL, McConnaughey JS (1978) The structure and innervation of cat knee menisci, and their relation to a “sensory hypothesis” of meniscal function. Am J Anat 153:431–442
Bullough PG, Munuera L et al (1970) The strength of the menisci of the knee as it relates to their fine structure. J Bone Joint Surg Br 52(3):564–567
Proctor CS, Schmidt MB et al (1989) Material properties of the normal medial bovine meniscus. J Orthop Res 7(6):771–782
Sweigart MA, Zhu CF et al (2004) Intraspecies and interspecies comparison of the compressive properties of the medial meniscus. Ann Biomed Eng 32(11):1569–1579
Macnicol MF, Thomas NP (2000) The knee after menisctomy. J Bone Joint Surg 82:157–159
Shrive NG, O’Connor JJ et al (1978) Load-bearing in the knee joint. Clin Orthop (131):279–287
Ahmed AM, Burke DL (1983) In-vitro measurement of static pressure distribution in synovial joints – part I: tibial surface of the knee. J Biomech Eng 105(3):216–225
Jones RS, Keene GC et al (1996) Direct measurement of hoop strains in the intact and torn human medial meniscus. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon) 11(5):295–300
Richards CJ, Gatt CJ et al (2003) Quantitative measurement of human meniscal strain. Trans Orthop Res Soc 28:649
Campbell SE, Sanders TG, Morrison WB (2001) MR imaging of meniscal cysts: incidence, location, and clinical significance. Am J Roentgenol 177:409–413
Havitcioglu H, Cecen B, Baktiroglu L, Erduran M, Karakasli A (2009) The biomechanical properties of meniscus. 14th Biomedical Engineering Meeting, at Izmir, Turkey, 20–22 May
Wilson W, van Donkelaar C, van Rietbergen B, Huiskes R (2003) Pathways of load-induced cartilage damage causing degeneration in the knee after meniscectomy. J Biomech 36:845–851
Andersson-Molina H, Karlsson H, Rockborn P (2002) Arthroscopic partial and total meniscectomy: a long-term follow-up study with matched controls. Arthroscopy 18:183–189
LeRoux MA, Setton LA (2002) Experimental biphasic fem determinations of the material properties and hydraulic permeability of the meniscus in tension. J Biomech Eng 124:315–321
Pen˜a E, Calvo B, Martı’nez MA, Palanca D, Doblare M (2005) Finite element analysis of the effect of meniscal tears and meniscectomies on human knee biomechanics. Clin Biomech 20:498–507
Messner K, Gillquist J (1993) Prosthetic replacement of the rabbit medial meniscus. J Biomed Mater Res 27:1165–1173
Berthiaume MJ, Raynauld JP, Martel-Pelletier J et al (2005) Meniscal tear and extrusion are strongly associated with progression of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis as assessed by quantitative magnetic resonance imaging. Ann Rheum Dis 64:556–563
Lange AK, Singh MAF, Smith RM et al (2007) Degenerative meniscus tears and mobility impairment in women with knee osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis Cartilage 15:701–708
Donahue TLH, Hull ML, Rashid MM, Jacobs RC (2000) A finite element model of the human knee joint for the study of tibiofemoral contact. J Biomech Eng 124:273–280
Cook JL (2005) The current status of treatment for large meniscal defects. Clin Orthop Relat Res 435:88–95
Setton LA, Guilak F, Hsu EW, Vail TP (1999) Biomechanical factors in tissue engineered meniscal repair. Clin Orthop Relat Res 367(Suppl):S254–S272
McNicholas MJ, Rowley DI et al (2000) Total meniscectomy in adolescence. J Bone Joint Surg Br 82(2):217–221
Arnoczky SP (1999) Building a meniscus. Biologic considerations. Clin Orthop Relat Res 367(Suppl):S244–S253
van Tienen TG, Hannink G, Buma P (2009) Meniscus replacement using synthetic materials. Clin Sports Med 28:143–156
Buma P, Ramrattan NN, van Tienen TG, Veth RP (2004) Tissue engineering of the meniscus. Biomaterials 25:1523–1532
Walsh CJ, Goodman D, Caplan AI, Goldberg VM (1999) Meniscus regeneration in a rabbit partial meniscectomy model. Tissue Eng 5:327–337
Bruns J, Kahrs J, Kampen J et al (1998) Autologous perichondral tissue for meniscal replacement. J Bone Joint Surg Br 80:918–923
Cook JL, Tomlinson JL, Kreeger JM, Cook CR (1999) Induction of meniscal regeneration in dogs using a novel biomaterial. Am J Sports Med 27:658–665
Stapleton TW, Ingram J, Katta J et al (2008) Development and characterization of an acellular porcine medial meniscus for use in tissue engineering. Tissue Eng Part A 14:505–518
Bodin A, Concaro S, Brittberg M, Gatenholm P (2007) Bacterial cellulose as a potential meniscus implant. J Tissue Eng Regen Med 1:406–408
Mueller SM, Schneider TO, Shortkroff S et al (1999) Alpha-smooth muscle actin and contractile behavior of bovine meniscus cells seeded in type I and type II collagen-GAG matrices. J Biomed Mater Res 45:157–166
Pabbruwe MB, Kafienah W et al (2010) Repair of meniscal cartilage white zone tears using a stem cell/collagen-scaffold implant. Biomaterials 31:2583–2591
Klompmaker J, Jansen HW, Veth RP, Nielsen HK et al (1993) Porous implants for knee joint meniscus reconstruction: a preliminary study on the role of pore sizes in ingrowth and differentiation of fibrocartilage. Clin Mater 14:1–11
Vacanti CA, Langer R, Schloo B, Vacanti JP (1991) Synthetic polymers seeded with chondrocytes provide a template for new cartilage formation. Plast Reconstr Surg 88:753–759
Freed LE, Marquis JC, Nohria A et al (1993) Neocartilage formation in vitro and in vivo using cells cultured on synthetic biodegradable polymers. J Biomed Mater Res 27:11–23
Kang SW, Son SM, Lee JS et al (2006) Regeneration of whole meniscus using meniscal cells and polymer scaffolds in a rabbit total meniscectomy model. J Biomed Mater Res A 78:659–671
Heijkants RG, van Calck RV, De Groot JH et al (2004) Design, synthesis and properties of a degradable polyurethane scaffold for meniscus regeneration. J Mater Sci Mater Med 15:423–427
van Tienen TG, Heijkants RG, Buma P et al (2002) Tissue ingrowth and degradation of two biodegradable porous polymers with different porosities and pore sizes. Biomaterials 23:1731–1738
Wood DJ, Minns RJ, Strover A (1990) Replacement of the rabbit medial meniscus with a polyester-carbon fibre bioprosthesis. Biomaterials 11:13–16
Toyonaga T, Uezaki N, Chikama H (1983) Substitute meniscus of Teflon-net for the knee joint of dogs. Clin Orthop Relat Res 179:291–297
Lebourg M, Sabater Serra R, Más Estellés J et al (2008) Biodegradable polycaprolactone scaffold with controlled porosity obtained by modified particle-leaching technique. J Mater Sci Mater Med 19:2047–2053
Cao Y, Rodriguez A, Vacanti M et al (1998) Comparative study of the use of poly(glycolic acid), calcium alginate and pluronics in the engineering of autologous porcine cartilage. J Biomater Sci Polym Ed 9:475–487
Welsing RT, van Tienen TG, Ramrattan N et al (2008) Effect on tissue differentiation and articular cartilage degradation of a polymer meniscus implant: a 2-year follow-up study in dogs. Am J Sports Med 36:1978–1989
Mandal BB, Park SH, Gil ES, Kaplan DL (2011) Multilayered silk scaffolds for meniscus tissue engineering. Biomaterials 32:639–651
Mandal BB, Park SH, Gil ES, Kaplan DL (2011) Stem cell-based meniscus tissue engineering. Tissue Eng Part A 17:2749–2761
Ballyns JJ, Gleghorn JP, Niebrzydowski V et al (2008) Image-guided tissue engineering of anatomically shaped implants via MRI and micro-CT using injection molding. Tissue Eng Part A 14:1195–1202
Ballyns JJ, Wright TM, Bonassar LJ (2010) Effect of media mixing on ECM assembly and mechanical properties of anatomically-shaped tissue engineered meniscus. Biomaterials 31:6756–6763
Kobayashi M, Toguchida J, Oka M (2003) Preliminary study of polyvinyl alcohol-hydrogel (PVA-H) artificial meniscus. Biomaterials 24:639–647
Kobayashi M, Chang YS, Oka M (2005) A two year in vivo study of polyvinyl alcohol-hydrogel (PVA-H) artificial meniscus. Biomaterials 26:3243–3248
Chiari C, Koller U, Dorotka R et al (2006) A tissue engineering approach to meniscus regeneration in a sheep model. Osteoarthritis Cartilage 14:1056–1065
Kon E, Chiari C, Marcacci M et al (2008) Tissue engineering for total meniscal substitution: animal study in sheep model. Tissue Eng Part A 14:1067–1080
Klompmaker J, Veth RPH, Jansen HWB et al (1996) Meniscal replacement using a porous polymer prosthesis: a preliminary study in the dog. Biomaterials 17:1169–1175
Esposito AR, Moda M et al (2013) Biores Open Access 2(2):138–147
Filardo G, Andriolo L, Kon E et al (2014) Meniscal scaffolds: results and indications. A systematic literature review. Int Orthop. doi:10.1007/s00264-014-2415-x
Li S-T, Rodkey WG, Yuen D et al (2002) Type I collagen- based template for meniscus regeneration. In: Lewandrowski K-U, Wise DL, Trantolo DJ, Gresser JD, Yaszemski MJ, Altobelli DE (eds) Tissue engineering and biodegradable equivalents. Scientific and clinical applications. Marcel Dekker, New York, pp 237–266
Rodkey WG (2008) A look beyond the horizon. In: Feagin JA Jr, Steadman JR (eds) The crucial principles in care of the knee. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia
Stone KR, Rodkey WG, Webber RJ et al (1990) Future directions: collagen-based prosthesis for meniscal regeneration. Clin Orthop Relat Res 252:129–135
Stone KR, Rodkey WG, Webber RJ et al (1992) Meniscal regeneration with copolymeric collagen scaffolds: in vitro and in vivo studies evaluated clinically, histologically, biochemically. Am J Sports Med 20:104–111
Tienen TG, Heijkants RG, de Groot JH et al (2006) Replacement of the knee meniscus by a porous polymer implant: a study in dogs. Am J Sports Med 34:64–71
Aufderheide AC, Athanasiou KA (2007) Assessment of a bovine co-culture, scaffold-free method for growing meniscus-shaped constructs. Tissue Eng 13(9):2195–2205
Weinand C, Peretti GM, Adams SB Jr et al (2006) An allogenic cell-based implant for meniscal lesions. Am J Sports Med 34(11):1779–1789, Epub
Hidaka C, Ibarra C, Hannafin JA, Torzilli PA, Quitoriano M, Jen SS et al (2002) Formation of vascularized meniscal tissue by combining gene therapy with tissue engineering. Tissue Eng 8(1):93–105
Peretti GM, Gill TJ, Xu JW, Randolph MA, Morse KR, Zaleske DJ (2004) Cell-based therapy for meniscal repair: a large animal study. Am J Sports Med 32(1):146–158
Ibarra C, Jannetta C, Vacanti CA, Cao Y, Kim TH, Upton JV et al (1997) Tissue engineered meniscus: a potential new alternative to allogeneic meniscus transplantation. Transplant Proc 29:986–988
Stone KR, Steadman JR, Rodkey WG, Li ST (1997) Regeneration of meniscal cartilage with use of a collagen scaffold. Analysis of preliminary data. J Bone Joint SurgAm 79(12):1770–1777
Heinlein B, Kutzner I, Graichen F, Bender A, Rohlmann A, Halder AM, Beier A, Bergmann G (2009) ESB Clinical Biomechanics Award 2008: complete data of total knee replacement loading for level walking and stair climbing measured in vivo with a follow-up of 6–10 months. Clin Biomech (Bristol Avon) 24(4):315–326, Epub
Mündermann A, Dyrby CO, D’Lima DD, Colwell CW Jr, Andriacchi TP (2008) In vivo knee loading characteristics during activities of daily living as measured by an instrumented total knee replacement. J Orthop Res 26(9):1167–1172
Garrett JC (1992) Meniscal transplantation. In: Aichroth PM, Canon WD (eds) Knee surgery, current practice. Raven Press Ltd, New York, pp 95–102
Jackson DW, McDevitt CA et al (1992) Meniscal transplantation using fresh and cryopreserved allografts. An experimental study in goats. Am J Sports Med 20(6):644–656
Elliott DM, Jones R et al (2002) Joint degeneration following meniscal allograft transplantation in a canine model: mechanical properties and semiquantitative histology of articular cartilage. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 10(2):109–118
Mora G, Alvarez E et al (2003) Articular cartilage degeneration after frozen meniscus and Achilles tendon allograft transplantation: experimental study in sheep. Arthroscopy 19(8):833–841
Dienst M, Greis PE et al (2007) Effect of lateral meniscal allograft sizing on contact mechanics of the lateral tibial plateau: an experimental study in human cadaveric knee joints. Am J Sports Med 35(1):34–42
von Lewinski G, Kohn D et al (2008) The influence of nonanatomical insertion and incongruence of meniscal transplants on the articular cartilage in an ovine model. Am J Sports Med 36(5):841–850
Rath E, Richmond JC et al (2001) Meniscal allograft transplantation. Two- to eight-year results. Am J Sports Med 29(4):410–414
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Havıtçıoğlu, H., Özmanevra, R., Karakaşlı, A. (2016). A Fibroelastic Cartilage: Meniscus. In: Korkusuz, F. (eds) Musculoskeletal Research and Basic Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20777-3_25
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20777-3_25
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-20776-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-20777-3
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)