Background: Isolated cartilage damage is the starting point of generalized joint disease because it lacks the ability to heal or regenerate. Several methods of autologous cartilage transplants (ACT) were described to reconstruct large cartilage defects with variable results. This study presents the clinical results after treating large sized cartilage lesions of the MFC with MACT, with regard to different clinical scores and patients’ satisfaction and to emphasize the results and efficacy of MACT shown in the literature. Patients and Methods: 8 patients (6 males, 2 females) were treated with Matrix Autologous Chondrocyte Transplantation (MACT) in the knee joint at the medial femoral condyle. Mean age was 29,9 years (19-39 years), average size of the defect was 6,31cm2 (ranged from 3cm2 to 12cm2). The follow-up was done Postoperatively using Lysholm,VAS (visual analogue scale), IKDCS (International knee documentation committee score) and Tegner scores. Results: The Lysholm score was improved by average 15,63 Points. The IKDC showed a clear improvement of the score by 20.1 points. The VAS had an average improvement in the score from 7.5 to 3.125. Tegner activity score improved from activity level 3 to level 5. Conclusion: MACT can be considered as a very efficient and safe therapeutic method for the treatment of large sized cartilage defects of the knee. The best results have been reported after traumatic lesions and OCD. |
