Treatment of deep cartilage defects in the knee with autologous chondrocyte transplantation

Brittberg M, Lindahl A, Nilsson A, Ohlsson C, Isaksson O, Peterson L · The New England Journal of Medicine

At mean 39 months, 14 of 16 femoral condyle patients had good-to-excellent results and 11 of 15 femoral biopsies showed hyaline-like cartilage; patellar results were poor (2 of 7 good). The paper that launched cell therapy for cartilage.

Population

First 23 patients treated in Gothenburg with cultured autologous chondrocytes under a periosteal flap

Intervention

First-generation ACI (periosteal cover)

Comparator

None

Limitations

Small uncontrolled first-in-human series; patellar failures; landmark status often overstated as proof of superiority.