This animal experiment was carried out using 30 S-D rats 8 weeks after birth. After excision of cartilage, the articular surface of the patella was covered with a infrapatellar fat pad with a pedicle.
These rats were sacrificed weekly from 1 week to 16 weeks after surgery. The implanted fat tissues were found to be changed into a synovial like membrane which covered the excised patellar surface. There were no bony or cartilagenous reproduction mechanisms on the central portion of the excised patellar surface even 16 weeks after surgery. But there were synovial membranous reproduction mechanisms on the edge of the excised surface. These tissues were regenerated in cartilage tissue. There was only mild degeneration of the femoral articular cartilage on the implanted group in comparison with the simultaneous non-implanted (only-excised) group. These results suggest that the implanted fat tissue may act as a intercalated membrane between the patella and the femoral articular surfaces.
