title: Treatment of full-thickness chondral defects with autologous chondrocyte implantation.
abstract: Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) is a reproducible treatment option for large full-thickness symptomatic chondral injuries with appropriate knowledge of technique and patient selection. It provides a cellular repair that offers a high percentage of good to excellent clinical results over a long follow-up period. It is applicable over a wide range of chondral injuries from simple to more complex lesions. It is essential that the intra-articular environment be as close to normal as possible for successful cartilage repair. Coexisting knee pathology must be aggressively treated. ACI does have a prolonged postoperative rehabilitation course necessitated by the biologic nature of the repair, and patients must be able to comply with the rehabilitation and temporary restrictions required for a successful outcome.
authors.affiliation: Atlanta Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center, 3200 Downwood Circle, Suite 500, Atlanta, GA 30327, USA. sdg14@mindspring.com
authors.forename: Scott D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Gillogly
authors.forename: Thomas H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Myers
mesh_terms: D002357:Cartilage Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D017690:Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000637:transplantation*; D006801:Humans; D007592:Joint Diseases / Q000150:complications; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures; D018579:Patient Selection; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous