Abstract：
Biomechanical characterization of meniscal tissue ex vivo remains a critical need, particularly for the development of suitable meniscus replacements or therapeutic strategies that target the native mechanical properties of the meniscus. To date, a huge variety of test configurations and protocols have been reported, making it extremely difficult to compare the respective outcome parameters, thereby leading to misinterpretation. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic review was to identify test-specific parameters that contribute to uncertainties in the determination of mechanical properties of the human meniscus and its attachments, which derived from common quasi-static and dynamic tests in tension, compression, and shear. Strong evidence was found that the determined biomechanical properties vary significantly depending on the specific test parameters, as indicated by up to tenfold differences in both tensile and compressive properties. Test mode (stress relaxation, creep, cyclic) and configuration (unconfined, confined, in-situ), specimen shape and dimensions, preconditioning regimes, loading rates, post-processing of experimental data, and specimen age and degeneration were identified as the most critical parameters influencing the outcome measures. In conclusion, this work highlights an unmet need for standardization and reporting guidelines to facilitate comparability and may prove beneficial for evaluating the mechanical properties of novel meniscus constructs. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The biomechanical properties of the human meniscus have been studied extensively over the past decades. However, it remains unclear to what extent both test protocol and specimen-related differences are responsible for the enormous variability in material properties. Therefore, this systematic review analyzes the biomechanical properties of the human meniscus in the context of the underlying testing protocol. The most sensitive parameters affecting the determination of mechanical properties were identified and critically discussed. Currently, it is of utmost importance for scientists evaluating potential meniscal scaffolds and biomaterials to have a control group rather than a direct comparison to the literature. Standardization of both test procedures and reporting requirements is needed to improve and accelerate the development of meniscal replacement constructs.
摘要：
离体半月板组织的生物力学表征仍然是一个关键的需要，特别是用于开发合适的半月板替代物或针对半月板天然机械性能的治疗策略。迄今为止,已经报道了各种各样的测试配置和协议，使得很难比较各自的结果参数，从而导致误解。因此,本系统评价的目的是确定测试特定的参数，这些参数会导致确定人体弯月面及其附件的机械性能的不确定性。从常见的准静态和动态张力测试中得出，压缩，和剪切。有力的证据表明，根据特定的测试参数，确定的生物力学特性显着变化，这表明在拉伸和压缩性能的差异高达10倍。测试模式(应力松弛，蠕变,循环)和构型(无限制，受限，in-situ),试样形状和尺寸,预处理制度，装载率，实验数据的后处理，标本年龄和变性被确定为影响结局指标的最关键参数。总之,这项工作强调了对标准化和报告指南的未满足需求，以促进可比性，并且可能被证明有利于评估新型弯月面结构的机械性能。重要性声明：在过去的几十年中，人类半月板的生物力学特性已被广泛研究。然而,目前尚不清楚测试方案和标本相关差异在多大程度上导致材料特性的巨大差异.因此,本系统综述在基础测试方案的背景下分析了人体半月板的生物力学特性.确定并严格讨论了影响机械性能测定的最敏感参数。目前,对于评估潜在半月板支架和生物材料的科学家来说，最重要的是要有一个对照组，而不是直接与文献进行比较。需要对测试程序和报告要求进行标准化，以改善和加速半月板置换构造的开发。
