OrthoConnecticut offers state-of-the-art treatment by fellowship trained knee specialists, and the convenience of both surgery and follow-up care in a local setting.
Repair and Treatment for Knee Cartilage Disorders
When knee cartilage has been severely damaged due to injury, defect or a chronic condition, the cartilage can be replaced through a special technique that regenerates the patient’s own hyaline cartilage, (a weight-bearing cartilage that lines the surface of the knee joint).
Through a small incision in the knee, the surgeon uses an arthroscope to look for signs of damage in the knee joint. If a defect is found, the surgeon removes a small sample of healthy cartilage from a non weight-bearing region of the knee. The sample is sent to the Genzyme laboratory, where it is stimulated to produce approximately 12 million similar cells. The process, called cell culturing, takes about four to five weeks. Once completed, the new cells are returned to the surgeon.
The surgeon now performs a second surgery to implant the new cartilage cells. First, the surgeon removes the knee’s damaged or diseased cartilage, along with any loose tissue. A small patch of thin, fibrous tissue called periosteum is removed from the surface of the tibia. The periosteum patch is sewn over the area where the diseased or damaged cartilage was removed. The new cultured cells are implanted beneath the patch through a thin needle. Over time, the cultured cells will adhere to the damaged area, forming a new layer of weight-bearing cartilage tissue.
