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Transplantation of cartilage-like tissue made by tissue engineering in the treatment of cartilage defects of the knee
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2002
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Tissue EngineeringEngineeringBone RepairTissue TransplantationSurgeryBiomedical EngineeringOrthopedic BiomechanicsOrthopaedic SurgeryRegenerative MedicineAtelocollagen GelSurrounding CartilageBiomechanicsCartilage DegenerationOsteoarthritisArthroscopic TechniqueJoint ReplacementTissue RepairMechanobiologyAutologous ChondrocytesMusculoskeletal TissueFunctional Tissue EngineeringCartilage-like TissueCartilage DefectsSoft Tissue ReconstructionChondrogenesisMedicine
Autologous chondrocytes cultured in atelocollagen gel were transplanted into full‑thickness cartilage defects in 28 knees (26 patients) and followed for at least 25 months to assess clinical, arthroscopic and biomechanical outcomes. Transplantation eliminated knee locking, reduced pain and swelling, improved Lysholm scores, and yielded good or excellent arthroscopic outcomes in 93 % of knees, with graft hardness matching native cartilage and minimal adverse events, supporting that chondrocyte‑atelocollagen gel transplants restore articular cartilage.
We investigated the clinical, arthroscopic and biomechanical outcome of transplanting autologous chondrocytes, cultured in atelocollagen gel, for the treatment of full-thickness defects of cartilage in 28 knees (26 patients) over a minimum period of 25 months. Transplantation eliminated locking of the knee and reduced pain and swelling in all patients. The mean Lysholm score improved significantly. Arthroscopic assessment indicated that 26 knees (93%) had a good or excellent outcome. There were few adverse features, except for marked hypertrophy of the graft in three knees, partial detachment of the periosteum in three and partial ossification of the graft in one. Biomechanical tests revealed that the transplants had acquired a hardness similar to that of the surrounding cartilage. We conclude that transplanting chondrocytes in a newly-formed matrix of atelocollagen gel can promote restoration of the articular cartilage of the knee.