Subchondral pathways to the superior surface of the human talus.

The suggestion that the blood supply to subchondral bone plays an active role in the nutrition of adult articular cartilage is a source of controversy. Morphological confirmation of the presence of subchondral defects extending through the basal cartilage layer of the adult human talus is presented. Perfusion of a fluorescent dye through these breaks offers the possibility that they may serve as active pathways for the transport of nutrients to the cartilage. The distribution patterns of the defects in areas of intermittent cartilage loading is noted and its significance is discussed.