ABSTRACT
A typical view of a joint is shown in Fig. 1a; it is composed of bone, cartilage, a joint capsule, joint fluid, and ligaments. When the cartilage has large lesions as shown in Fig. 1b, some replacement or regeneration of the joint is required (1). Several regenerative treatments, including bone osteotomy, autograft, and cultured cell implantation, have been developed, but joint replacement with an artificial joint is the most common and effective treatment for the aged. The use of biological and inorganic materials for joint arthroplasty became popular in the early twentieth century. Deformed or ankylosed joint surfaces were contoured and an interpositional layer inserted to resurface the joint and allow motion, as shown in Fig. 2a. Fascia lata grafts, periarticular soft tissues, and gold foils were tried as the interpositional layer. Then cup authroplasty and joint
* Part I of this chapter is by Nagata and Tomita; Part II is by Fujita.
