 |
Thousands of Americans are affected each year by damaged articular
cartilage in the knee. Advances are leading to a host of new options
to tackle this condition, including cartilage transplant in which
healthy cartilage is removed from one area of a patient's body and
replaces the damaged cartilage of the affected joint. It is only possible
to transplant cartilage to the knee joint.
Dr. Caillouette performs the transplanting of existing cartilage to damaged areas. He is also involved with early-stage research in transplanting cartilage that is grown from a patient's own cells. |
|
|
|
 |
|
When performing a cartilage graft, a plug of bone and healthy cartilage is harvested from one area and transplanted to the injury site. A cartilage graft can use either the individual's own tissue or a matched graft from another source. If the patient's own tissue is used, the plug of bone and cartilage must come from a non-weightbearing area that has little contact with other bones. This fact limits its application to treating smaller lesions. For larger injuries, a matched graft is more appropriate, provided that a tissue match can be found or the graft can be processed to modify the genetic differences and help prevent rejection. |
|
|
|
|
In this 2-step procedure, healthy cartilage cells are harvested from a non-weightbearing area of the knee joint during arthroscopic surgery. The harvested cells are then treated so they will multiply over the course of several days. During the second surgery, Dr. Caillouette cleans the injury site and removes a piece of the soft tissue that covers the tibia. The tissue is sutured and secured over the injury, and the cultured chondrocytes are injected beneath the patch. There the chondrocytes will eventually produce a form of cartilage that is very much like the original articular cartilage.
Because this procedure uses the patient's own cells, there is no danger of rejection by the immune system. |
