Short-term effect of deep-frozen stored auricular cartilage allograft repair on the osteoarthritic sheep temporomandibular joint

Abstract

The initial effect of deep-frozen stored auricular cartilage replacement was tested on the progression of experimentally induced osteoarthritis in sheep. Bilateral osteoarthritis was induced in the sheep temporomandibular joint. Three months later, discectomy and deep-frozen auricular cartilage allograft repair were performed unilaterally, with the other side being left as a control. Six months post induction of osteoarthritis, 3 months post repair, the sheep were killed. The stored auricular cartilage allografts were not firmly attached to the surrounding tissue and tended to be markedly thinned and perforated. The effect of storage detrimentally affected the properties of the graft.