Injury to articular cartilage joint surfaces. I. Chondral injury produced by patellar shaving: a histopathologic study of human tissue specimens.

Five patella specimens from patients who had previously undergone elective shaving procedures for chondromalacia five months to two years prior to patellectomy were examined. There was no significant repair arising from the articular chondrocytes. Fibrous pannus that originated from the subchondral osseous tissue filled the surgical defects. These cases of failed shaving procedures suggest that it is not advisable to assume that all articular defects that are shaved down to bone will be repaired by new cartilage tissue.