Autologous chondrocyte transplantation -
Dr. Michael Lehmann

Transplantation of the body's own tissue

Autologous chondrocyte transplantation (ACT) is one of the newer treatment methods in the field of osteoarthritis therapy. With this procedure, a little cartilage tissue is taken from a healthy part of the joint.

The cartilage cells it contains are multiplied using specialist techniques in the laboratory and, after a few weeks, implanted into the bone defect in a second procedure. There, the cells ultimately mature to create high-quality regenerated cartilage which in most cases achieves over 90% of the biomechanical stability of healthy joint cartilage, as extensive investigations have demonstrated.

Procedures for cartilage damage by specialists

Autologous chondrocyte transplantation, with the cultivation of cartilage cells, is a highly complex process. The procedure should therefore only be carried out by suitably experienced clinicians in specialist centres.

For whom is autologous chondrocyte transplantation suitable?

• This technique is particularly useful for cartilage damage in the knee or ankle joint.
  

• The size of the defect should be no more than 10 square centimetres.
  
• Intact surrounding cartilage that has no signs of arthritis is essential.
  
• Patients should not be older than 50.
  
• Joint deformities (bow legs / knock knees) are an exclusion criterion, since in these cases the cartilage can be destroyed more easily due to the uneven stress placed on the joints.

A further development of autologous chondrocyte transplantation is Matrix-induced Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (MACI). With this technique, the cultivated cartilage cells are inserted into a three-dimensional collagen matrix before being transplanted back into the joint as this allows the cells to integrate more effectively into the joint and then slowly dissolves.