[Cartilage/chondrocyte research and osteoarthritis. New approach to osteoarthritis of knee joints by 3D kinematic analysis.]

Abstract

Osteoarthritis of the knee joints is a disease in which the number of patients is said to be 10 million. The pathomechanism is still unknown, and various researches has been performed. Total knee replacement is a representative treatment. It aims to restore the knee joint function as much as possible. However, the postoperative knee function and the ideal design of implant is not clarified. The latest three-dimensional kinetic analysis method is a completely different approach from the molecular biology queried in this book. It has surprisingly suggested the possibility to elucidate these problems and I would like to introduce some of the results in this chapter.