title: AUTOLOGOUS CHONDROCYTE TRANSPLANTATION-SERIES OF 3 CASES.
abstract: Hyaline cartilage covers joint surfaces and plays an important role in reducing friction and mechanical loading on synovial joints such as the knee. This tissue is not supplied with blood vessels, nerves or lymphatic circulation, which may be one of the reasons why joint cartilage has such poor capacity for healing. Chondral lesions that reach the subchondral bone (osteochondral lesions) do not heal and may progress to arthrosis with the passage of time. In young patients, treatment of chondral defects of the knee is still a challenge, especially in lesions larger than 4 cm. One option for treating these patients is autologous chondrocyte transplantation/implantation. Because this treatment does not violate the subchondral bone and repairs the defect with tissue similar to hyaline cartilage, it has the theoretical advantage of being more biological, and mechanically superior, compared with other techniques. In this paper, we describe our experience with autologous chondrocyte transplantation/implantation at the Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Hospital das Clínicas, University of Sâo Paulo, through a report on three cases.
authors.affiliation: Attending Physician in the Knee Group, Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Hospital das Clínicas, University of Sao Paulo School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Riccardo Gomes
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Gobbi
authors.affiliation: Attending Physician in the Knee Group, Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Hospital das Clínicas, University of Sao Paulo School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Marco Kawamura
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Demange
authors.affiliation: MSc Student in the Postgraduate Program on Orthopedics and Traumatology, University of Sao Paulo School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Ronald Bispo
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Barreto
authors.affiliation: Attending Physician and Head of the Knee Group, Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Hospital das Clínicas, University of Sao Paulo School of Medicine.
authors.forename: José Ricardo
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Pécora
authors.affiliation: Attending Physician and Head of the Osteometabolic Diseases Group, Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Hospital das Clínicas, University of Sao Paulo School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Múrcia Uchõa de
authors.initials: MU
authors.lastname: Rezende
authors.affiliation: Titular Professor of the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, School of Medicine, University of Sao Paulo.
authors.forename: Tarcisio E P Barros
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Filho
authors.affiliation: Biologist and Adjunct Professor in the Federal University of ABC, Sao Paulo.
authors.forename: Christiane Bertachini
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Lombello
keywords: Chondrocyte; Knee; Transplantation, autologous