Structural reorganization of the cartilage tissue in chronic osteomyelitis of the foot bones

Purpose To study structural reorganization of the cartilage tissue of the joints, depending on the location of osteomyelitis in the bones of the foot. Materials and methods Intraoperative material of 16 patients with chronic osteomyelitis in the foot bones was studied (10 males in the average age 45.3 (33 ÷ 56) years and six females in the average age of 40 (23 ÷ 53) years). The material was resected fragments of the osteo-cartilaginous complex: calcaneus, talus and adjacent joint tissue (subtalar and talo-navicular, phalangeal and metatarsal bones and metatarsophalangeal joint). The material was fixed in 10 % formalin. Paraffin sections (5-7 μm thick) were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Histological studies were performed using a stereo microscope “AxioScope.A1” with a digital camera “AxioCam” and software “Zenblue” (CarlZeiss MicroImaging GmbH, Germany). Results The subchondral bone plate and basophilic line remained continuous and the vessels did not penetrate into the cartilaginous tissue in chronic osteomyelitis of the calcaneus and talus, when the osteomyelitis foci were remote from the articular surface...