Background: Finding a suitable pharmacological substance and a surgical method for improving cartilage graft preparation are necessary. This present study was planned to evaluate the effects of PLGF and graft preparation methods on cartilage graft survival.
Methods: This controlled, experimental study was performed in Kerman University of Medical Science, Kerman, Iran during 2016- 2017 on two groups of rabbits. Group 1 received PLGF (PLGF +) while Group 2 did not receive any PLGF (PLGF -). In each group, three carilage graft preparation methods including Block Cartilage Graft (BCG), Diced Cartilage Graft (DCG), and Crashed Cartilage Graft (CCG) were used. Three months after the intervention, the grafts were re-assessed and weighed. A specimen from each graft was taken for inflammation, fibrosis, necrosis, and viable chondrocyte.
Results: The CCG method had the maximum ossification percentage (OS%) and no change occurred by PLGF. The BCG method had the greatest viable chondrocyte number, attenuated by PLGF. The BCG method had the highest amount of fibrosis, without any change by PLGF. Additionally, the inflammation percentage and necrosis in the PLGF + group were greater than the PLGF - group.
Conclusion: The most important effecting factor on the properties of cartilage graft is the method of graft preparation and PLGF only attenuates the methods properties without changing them.
Keywords: Block; Cartilage; Crushed; Diced; GF; Graft; PLGF.