Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Osteoarthritis: The cartilage covering bones (articular cartilage) is thinned, eventually completely worn out, resulting in a "bone against bone" joint, resulting in pain and reduced mobility. Osteoarthritis is very common, affects the joints exposed to high stress and is therefore considered the result of "wear and tear" rather than a true ...
Autologous articular cartilage transfer from a non-weight-bearing area to the damaged area, called osteochondral autograft transfer system, is one possible procedure that is being studied. [140] When the missing cartilage is a focal defect, autologous chondrocyte implantation is also an option. [141]
Articular cartilage is a connective tissue overlying the ends of bones that provides smooth joint surfaces. Healthy cartilage is essential to the proper functioning of joints within the body. Cartilage is composed of cells embedded in an extracellular matrix of collagen fibers and proteoglycans.
Articular cartilage does not usually regenerate (the process of repair by formation of the same type of tissue) after injury or disease leading to loss of tissue and formation of a defect. This fact was first described by William Hunter in 1743. [1] Several surgical techniques have been developed in the effort to repair articular cartilage defects.
Articular cartilage, most notably that which is found in the knee joint, is generally characterized by very low friction, high wear resistance, and poor regenerative qualities. It is responsible for much of the compressive resistance and load bearing qualities of the knee joint and, without it, walking is painful to impossible.
Though the different articular cartilage repair procedures differ in the technologies and surgical techniques used, they all share the same aim to repair articular cartilage whilst keeping options open for alternative treatments in the future. Broadly taken, there are five major types of articular cartilage repair: [citation needed]
Autotransplantation is the transplantation of organs, tissues, or even particular proteins from one part of the body to another in the same person (auto-meaning "self" in Greek [1]). The autologous tissue (also called autogenous , autogeneic , or autogenic tissue) transplanted by such a procedure is called an autograft or autotransplant .
They reported a case study in which a full-thickness defect in the articular cartilage of a human knee was successfully repaired. [23] While the use of cultured mesenchymal stem cells has shown promising results, a more recent study using uncultured MSC's has resulted in full-thickness, histologically confirmed hyaline cartilage regrowth.