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The five year outcome of a clinical feasibility study using a biphasic construct with minced autologous cartilage to repair osteochondral defects in the knee

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Abstract

Purpose

Autologous minced cartilage has been used to repair cartilage defects. We have developed a biphasic cylindrical osteochondral construct for such use in human knees, and report the five year post-operative outcomes.

Methods

Ten patients with symptomatic osteochondral lesion at femoral condyles were treated by replacing pathological tissue with the osteochondral composites, each consisted a DL-poly-lactide-co-glycolide chondral phase and a DL-poly-lactide-co-glycolide/β-tricalcium phosphate osseous phase. A flat chamber between the two phases served as a reservoir to house double-minced (mechanical pulverization and enzymatical dissociation) autologous cartilage graft. The osteochondral lesion was drill-fashioned a pit of identical dimensions as the construct. Graft-laden construct was press fit to the pit. Post-operative outcome was evaluated using Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) up to five years. Regenerated tissue was sampled with arthroscopic needle biopsy for histology at one year, and imaged with magnetic resonance at one, three, and five years to evaluate the neocartilage with MOCART chart. Subchondral bone integration was evaluated with computed tomography at three and five years.

Results

Nine patients completed the five-year follow-up. Post-operative mean KOOS, except that of the “symptom” subscale, had been significantly higher than pre-operation from one year and maintained to five years. The change of MOCRAT scores of the regenerated cartilage paralleled the change of KOOS. The osseous phase remained mineralized during the five-year period, yet did not fully integrate with the host bone.

Conclusions

This novel construct for chondrocyte implantation yielded promising mid-term outcome. It repaired the osteochondral lesion with hyaline-like cartilage durable for at least five years.

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Funding

This study was funded by Exactech Taiwan Co., Ltd.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, National Taiwan University Hospital, 7 Chungsan South Road, Taipei, 10002, Taiwan

    Tzu-Hao Tseng, Ching-Chuan Jiang & Hongsen Chiang

  2. Department of Medical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taichung, Taiwan

    Howard Haw-Chang Lan

  3. Exactech Taiwan Co., Ltd., Hsinchu, Taiwan

    Chun-Nan Chen

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  1. Tzu-Hao Tseng
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Correspondence to Hongsen Chiang.

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Author, Chun Nan Chen, is an employee of BioGend Therapeutics Co., Ltd.; the corporation acquired Exactech Taiwan in 2018.

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Tseng, TH., Jiang, CC., Lan, H.HC. et al. The five year outcome of a clinical feasibility study using a biphasic construct with minced autologous cartilage to repair osteochondral defects in the knee. International Orthopaedics (SICOT) 44, 1745–1754 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-020-04569-y

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