Carticel (Cartilage Transplantation Surgery)

Carticel (cartilage transplantation surgery) – this is a new surgical technique involving the replacement of cartilage on the end of the bones. The procedure is most successful in younger patients with a small localized area for repair.

This procedure is not recommended in patients who have arthritis throughout the knee, inflammatory arthritis, ligament instability or cartilage damage that has not been surgically fixed. A two stage procedure involves initially obtaining particular (joint) cartilage graft through an arthroscopic procedure. The cartilage graft is sent off to the national lab to grow the cartilage in an incubator. Six weeks later, an open procedure involves suturing a flap of tissue to over the defect and injecting the new cartilage cells into the defect. Prolonged physical therapy is needed to restore motion and strength in the knee once an adequate period of time for cartilage growth has passed.