Autologous Chondrocytes Transplantation

Lee, Myung Chul

Abstract

Autologous chondrocyte transplantation (ACT)has been introduced more than 10 years ago and has been applied for the management of full thickness chondral defects of the knee.ACT is ideally indicated for a symptomatic full-thick-ness chondral injury of the femoral articular surface in physiologically young patients.At this moment there are patients with 10-13 years of follow-up who had continued to benefit from ACT.Treatment of other surfaces such as the patella and tibia have also been successful.The excellent clinical outcomes and good durability of repaired articular tissue of ACT procedure have made it a cost-effective procedure comparable to other procedures.However,thorough knowledge of indications,meticulous surgical techniques,understanding of normal time course of healing,the appropriate postoperative rehabilitation,and the ability to manage the specific complications are essential to get good clinical results of ACT.