Carticel^®

CARTICEL^® Knee Cartilage Treatment

Carticel^® is a form of treatment to repair damages or defects in the cartilage of the knee. The Carticel^® procedure uses a patient’s own cartilage cells, commonly called chondrocytes, to repair articular cartilage damage in the knee. When the chondrocytes are implanted into a cartilage injury, the patient’s own cells can form new cartilage, which is very similar in composition to the original cartilage. The implantation procedure is a two-step process, and is called Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation, or ACI.

For more information on Carticel^®, please contact All-Star Orthopaedics in the Dallas – Fort Worth, Texas region.

CARTICEL^® Procedure

To begin the Carticel^® procedure, the doctors at All-Star Orthopaedics will assess the extent of your cartilage damage. If they believe you are a candidate for Carticel^® implantation, your orthopedic surgeon will take a biopsy of healthy tissue to be sent to a lab. At the state-of-the-art laboratory, the cartilage cells within the biopsy will be cultured over three to five weeks, during which they will multiply into roughly 12 million cells. Every step of the manufacturing process is monitored to ensure quality and patient safety.

The cartilage cells can be stored for up to two years, so you can schedule the Carticel^® procedure at your convenience. When you and your doctor at All-Star Ortho do decide to proceed, a courier will deliver your cultured cells hours before the procedure is to take place.

CARTICEL^® Implantation

The second step of the Carticel^® procedure involves the cleaning and trimming of the damaged area. Your All-Star Orthopaedics surgeon will make an incision to allow them to remove any dead or damaged tissue from the injury area, leaving only healthy tissue behind. To ensure the cartilage properly attaches, your surgeon uses a periosteal patch, which is a small piece of tissue used to hold the implantation in place.

The Carticel^® procedure is completed as your surgeon injects the cultured cells beneath the patch to grow and form new hyaline-like cartilage, which has properties similar to those of the original cartilage. By repairing the cartilage injury, your All-Star Orthopaedics surgeon is hoping to reduce pain and improve overall movement and function.

For more information regarding the Carticel^® knee cartilage treatment, contact All-Star Orthopaedics today. All-Star Orthopaedics has convenient locations in Southlake, Irving and Flower Mound, and serves much of the North Texas and DFW area, including Dallas, Fort Worth, Coppell, Carrollton, Grapevine, Lewisville, Keller, Trophy Club, and beyond.