OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS Reconstruction of cartilage defects in the head and neck can require harvesting of autologous cartilage grafts, which can be associated with donor site morbidity. To overcome this limitation, tissue-engineering approaches may be used to generate cartilage grafts. The objective of this study was to decellularize and characterize human nasoseptal cartilage with the aim of ge...

BACKGROUND There is a need for tools to predict the chondrogenic potency of autologous cells for cartilage repair. PURPOSE To evaluate previously proposed chondrogenic biomarkers and to identify new biomarkers in the chondrocyte transcriptome capable of predicting clinical success or failure after autologous chondrocyte implantation. STUDY DESIGN Controlled laboratory study and case-control...

This review addresses the progress in cartilage repair technology over the decades with an emphasis on cartilage regeneration with cell therapy. The most abundant cartilage is the hyaline cartilage that covers the surface of our joints and, due to avascularity, this tissue is unable to repair itself. The cartilage degeneration seen in osteoarthritis causes patient suffering and is a huge burden...

An increasing number of patients with cartilage defects of the knee are being treated with autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI). To date, no clear guidelines exist for the use and indications of this technique. The BVOT and SOBCOT have established a working group to review the clinical results and the cost-effectiveness of the various treatment modalities and particularly of ACI. This grou...

Background and purpose - The natural history of focal cartilage defects (FCDs) is still unresolved, as is the long-term cartilage quality after cartilage surgery. It has been suggested that delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of cartilage (dGEMRIC) is a biomarker of early OA. We aimed to quantitatively evaluate the articular cartilage in knees with FCDs, 12 years after arthro...

Introduction: Tympanoplasty is the procedure of choice for surgical correction tympanic membrane perforation triggered by either chronic otitis media or trauma. Various types autologous grafts have been used to close perforations among which temporalis fascia and tragal cartilage are preferred, due their anatomic proximity, ease harvesting suppleness.
 Aims: To compare clinical audiologica...

Corresponding Author: Gianpiero Gravante, MD; e-mail: [email protected] Dear Editor, materials and techniques used for nasal reconstructions have always been a matter of discussion and still no clear guidelines are present. In the beginning, autologous cartilage grafts were extensively used for its low resorption and complication rates1-2. Recently, authors have preferred synthetic material...

Purpose  The aims of this paper are to report the rate and risk factors for the failure of the most common cartilage repair technique, and analyze the most important factors that could influence the choice of a specific surgical treatment to revise a failed cartilage repair. Methods  A review of the literature was performed focusing on failed cartilage repair and related treatments. Two of the ...

OBJECTIVE Matrix-associated autologous chondrocyte implantation has been used to treat cartilage defects. We developed a biphasic cylindrical osteochondral composite construct for such use, and conducted this study to determine its feasibility for treating osteochondral lesions in human knees. METHOD Ten patients with symptomatic osteochondral lesions at femoral condyles were treated by repla...