Intramatrical lipidic debris and calcified bodies in human semilunar cartilages.

Intramatrical lipid debris and calcified bodies were found in the matrix of injured and uninjured portions of semilunar cartilages obtained from patients ranging in age from 16 to 60 years. Most of the calcified bodies were homogeneously electron-dense and they were roughly spherical or cuboidal in shape. Much rarer was the occurrence of calcified bodies containing long, slender crystals. Electron-probe X-ray analysis showed that the homogeneously electron-dense bodies contain phosphorus, calcium and magnesium.