Published in
N°005 - March / April 2020
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Knee Cartilage Repair An Update
By Philippe Landreau in category UPDATE
Aspetar, Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital Doha, Qatar
Introduction
Chondral and osteochondral defects of the knee are common [Widuchowski]. They can be the consequence of an acute injury or following repetitive micro-traumas. Cartilage injuries can occur in conjunction with ligament and meniscus tears as well. They can impair the quality of life and increase the risk of developing degenerative joint disease over time. Cartilage has a very low potential for spontaneous repair, making chondral and osteochondral defects of the knee a difficult clinical challenge, particularly in young people and athletic population. Besides the conservative and non-operative treatment, different surgical techniques have been developed to address the focal cartilage defect. These techniques can be divided into palliative (chondroplasty and debridement), reparative (bone marrow stimulation), substitutive (osteochondral autograft, allograft or synthetic transfer) and regenerative (autologous chondrocyte implantation). The “ideal” procedure for the treatment of focal articular cartilage defect should restore normal hyaline cartilage through a minimally invasive approach, if possible in one stage, with minimum morbidity and low cost. Currently, this ideal technique does not exist but few procedures have shown some good short term results and there are...
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