| Description |
The objective of this thesis was to review the literature on the topography of the articular cartilage surface to better understand the controversy that has gone on for over 30 years of whether the surface is smooth or rough. It was also the objective to characterize and measure the three-dimensional surface topography of young adult human articular cartilage. Human articular cartilage with attached subchondral bone from the mid-region of the trochlear surface of the talus was obtained from seven deceased human donors (29 ± 9 years of age). The specimens were processed using multiple fixation techniques known to show the articular cartilage surface as being either smooth or rough upon analysis in the scanning electron microscope. Observed surface irregularities were measured using three-dimensional stereoscopic techniques. Three dimensional stereoscopic data showed that 92.78% ± 16.90% of the articular; surface was devoid of surface irregularities and was considered smooth. In the remaining 7.22% ± 17.20% of the articular surface area demonstrated bumps, measuring a mean of 7.70 urn ± 4.58 urn in height. The results of this study were compared to the international standards for surface preparations used by machinists found in the Machinery's Handbook for metal-bearing surfaces. According to these standards, the data clearly showed that even when the regions containing bumps were considered, the articular cartilage surface could be characterized as "smooth." |
