Development of an artificial meniscus using polyvinyl alcohol-hydrogel for early return to, and continuance of, athletic life in sportspersons with severe meniscus injury. I: mechanical evaluation.

The importance of knee meniscus function is now recognized, and the treatment of meniscus injury has been changing from resection to repair. However, depending on the type of injury, meniscectomy sometimes cannot be avoided. The young athlete might undergo meniscectomy in order to return to sports life as early as possible. However, in such a knee, it is important to anticipate the future problem of degenerative change or osteoarthrosis. In consideration of the prognosis and circumstances in such patients, we have developed an artificial meniscus using polyvinyl alcohol-hydrogel (PVA-H) and performed mechanical tests for compression and stress-relaxation. We found that the human meniscus has unique viscoelastic properties and a high water content. PVA-H showed viscoelastic behaviour similar to that of human meniscus in mechanical tests. These results suggest that an artificial meniscus using PVA-H with a high water content can compensate for meniscal function and might be clinically applicable.