The growth potential of autograft cartilage. An experimental study.

Does free transplanted autologous cartilage grow? Clinical studies by Peer and Dupertuis have produced variable observations. If free cartilage autografts in infancy and childhood do increase in size, the need for additional procedures, such as overgrafting or successive allografting as the child grows, would be obviated. There is a need for an experimental model to determine the presence and magnitude of cartilage growth as well as the contributions of appositional and interstitial growth toward overall growth.