Treatment of Articular Cartilage Defects of the Knee With Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation Medscape

Description: The successful treatment of focal full-thickness articular defects of the knee has continued to present a formidable challenge, and no traditional treatment method has provided consistent acceptable, long-term clinical results. Patients with significant chondral defects frequently have persistent joint line pain, swelling, and catching in the knee. In contrast to marrow stimulation and treatment techniques such as abrasion arthroplasty, drilling, or microfracture -- all of which populate the defect with pluripotential stem cells, the use of cultured autologous chondrocytes fills the defect with cells of a committed pathway to develop hyaline-like cartilage. This hyaline-like cartilage more closely recreates the wear characteristics and durability of normal hyaline cartilage than the fibrous or fibrocartilage repair tissue formed by pluripotential stem cells. The efficacy of available treatment options and the basic science rationale, technique, indications, and clinical results of using cultured autologous chondrocytes in the treatment of focal full-thickness chondral defects of the knee will be included in this review.
Treatment of Articular Cartilage Defects of the Knee With Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation Posted: 03/20/2000; Medscape General Medicine. 2000;2(2) © 2000 Medscape