The purpose of this study is to evaluate the early functional outcome and activity level in athletes and soldiers with large full thickness cartilage defects of the knee that underwent either ‘classic’ autologous chondrocyte implantation using periosteal flap coverage (ACI-P) or 3-D matrix-assisted chondrocyte implantation (ACI-M). Between April 2002 and January 2004, 19 patients (15 male, 4 female, average age 32.2 years) with 22 full-thickness cartilage defects in 19 knees were treated with ACI in our centre. The mean post-injury interval was 39.8 months whereas 17 (89.5%) patients had undergone at least one surgical procedure before ACI. The average defect size was 6.54 cm2 (located in MFC:7, LFC:7 or trochlear:2 while 3 patients had bifocal lesions in both LFC and TRC). Novocart¯ cultured chondrocytes with periosteal flap coverage were used in 11 patients and Novocart-3D¯ cell impregnated collagen patch in 8. The functional outcome was evaluated with IKDC form, Tegner activity scale and Lysholm score after a mean follow-up period of 26.5 months.Introduction
Methods
