Autologous Chondrocytes in a Hyaluronic Acid Scaffold

Articular cartilage lesions, with their inherent limited healing potential, remain a challenging problem for orthopedic surgeons. Various techniques, both palliative and reparative, have been used to treat this pathology with variable success rates. In recent years, however, regenerative techniques, such as autologous chondrocyte implantation, have emerged as possible solutions for the treatment of chondral knee lesions. The use of classic autologous chondrocyte implantation (first generation) has been associated with several limitations. To address these problems, tissue-engineering techniques have been developed. We selected a biodegradable, biocompatible, hyaluronian-based scaffold for cell proliferation. This matrix autologous chondrocyte transplantation procedure avoids the use of periosteal flap, simplifies the surgical procedure, and can be performed using an arthroscopic procedure. Thus, the surgical morbidity and the recovery time for the patient are extremely reduced with no complications related to the periosteal flap. The short- to medium-term follow-up clinical and histological results are encouraging. (C) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.