Repair of Articular Cartilage Defects One Year After Treatment with Recombinant Human Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 (rhBMP-2)*

Abstract

The problems associated with operative repair of cartilage include the formation of fibrocartilage rather than normal articular cartilage and the degeneration of that repair tissue over time. Our results demonstrate that the addition of rhBMP-2 to the operative site after creation of a full-thickness defect results in an improvement in the histological appearance and composition of the extracellular matrix at one year postoperatively. If these experimental results translate directly to the clinical situation, it is possible that the addition of rhBMP-2 to existing operative treatments for the repair of cartilage may improve the repair process and may help to maintain the integrity of the repair tissue.