Dataset Information

Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation Is Not Better Than Arthroscopic Debridement for the Treatment of Symptomatic Cartilage Lesions of the Knee: Two-Year Results From a Randomized-Controlled Trial.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

To compare the functional and patient-reported outcome measures after autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) and arthroscopic debridement (AD) in symptomatic, isolated cartilage injuries larger than 2 cm² in patients aged 18 to 50 years.

Methods

Twenty-eight patients were included and randomized to ACI (n = 15) or AD (n = 13) and followed for 2 years. The primary outcome was the change in the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) Quality of Life (QoL) subscale.

Results

The mean age at inclusion was 34.1 (standard deviation [SD] 8.5) years. There were 19 (68%) male patients. The mean size of the lesion was 4.2 (SD 1.7) cm². There was a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in patient-reported outcome measures from baseline to 2 years in both groups. The improvement from baseline to final follow-up for the primary endpoint (the KOOS QoL subscale) was larger for the AD group (39.8, SD 9.4) compared with the ACI group (23.8, SD 6.7), but this difference was not statistically significant (P = .17). However, according to a mixed linear model there were statistically significantly greater scores in the AD group for several KOOS subscales at several time points, including KOOS QoL, KOOS pain, and KOOS sport and recreation at 2 years.

Conclusions

This study indicates that AD followed by supervised physiotherapy is equal to or better than ACI followed by supervised physiotherapy in patients with isolated cartilage lesions of the knee larger than 2 cm². The improvement in KOOS QoL score from baseline to 2 years was clinically meaningful for both groups (23.8 points for ACI and 39.8 points AD), and larger for the AD group by 16 points.

Level of evidence

Level I, prospective randomized controlled trial.

SUBMITTER: Randsborg PH

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10943062 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation Is Not Better Than Arthroscopic Debridement for the Treatment of Symptomatic Cartilage Lesions of the Knee: Two-Year Results From a Randomized-Controlled Trial.

Randsborg Per-Henrik PH Brinchmann Jan E JE Owesen Christian C Engebretsen Lars L Birkenes Thomas T Hanvold Heidi Andreassen HA Benth Jūratė Šaltytė JŠ Årøen Asbjørn A

Arthroscopy, sports medicine, and rehabilitation 20240216 2

<h4>Purpose</h4>To compare the functional and patient-reported outcome measures after autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) and arthroscopic debridement (AD) in symptomatic, isolated cartilage injuries larger than 2 cm<sup>2</sup> in patients aged 18 to 50 years.<h4>Methods</h4>Twenty-eight patients were included and randomized to ACI (n = 15) or AD (n = 13) and followed for 2 years. The primary outcome was the change in the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) Quality of Life ...[more]

PMID: 38495635

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Project description:BackgroundFocal cartilage injuries in the knee might have devastating effect due to the predisposition of early onset osteoarthritis. Various surgical treatment options are available, however no statistically significant differences have been found between the different surgical treatments. This supports the suggestion that the improvement might be a result of the post-operative rehabilitation rather than the surgery itself. Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) has become a recognized treatment option for larger cartilage lesions in the knee. Although ACI has been compared to other surgical treatment such as microfracture and mosaicplasty, it has never been directly compared to simple arthroscopic debridement and rehabilitation alone. In this study we want to increase clinical and economic knowledge about autologous chondrocyte implantation compared to arthroscopic debridement and physical rehabilitation in the short and long run.Methods/designWe will conduct a randomized controlled trial to compare ACI with simple arthroscopic debridement (AD) and physiotherapy for the treatment of cartilage lesions in the knee. The study will include a total of 82 patients, both men and non-pregnant women, with a full thickness cartilage defect in the weight bearing area of the femoral condyles or trochlea larger than 2 cm2. The lesion must be symptomatic, with a Lysholm score less than 75. The two treatment groups will receive identical rehabilitation protocol according to a modification of Wondrasch et al., which is an active rehabilitation and education program divided into 3 phases: accommodation, rehabilitation and return to activity. The patients will be followed for 24 months, with additional late follow-ups at 5 and 10 years to monitor the potential onset of osteoarthtitis. The primary outcome measure will be the difference in the KOOS knee-related quality of life (QoL) subscore in the ACI group compared to the AD group at 2 years. A combination of self-explanatory questionnaires, clinical parameters, clinical hop tests and radiographs and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) will be used as secondary endpoints.DiscussionThis is the first study with a high level of evidence to compare ACI with simple debridement and physiotherapy for the treatment of isolated symptomatic full thickness lesions of the knee.Trial registrationClinicalTrial NCT02636881 (21 December 2015).

Project description:IntroductionAutologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) is a crucial method for the treatment of defects in articular cartilage. However, the extant methods for the preparation of autologous chondrocyte patch are relatively complicated and money-consuming. Therefore, an efficient, reliable, easy-to-follow, and cost-effective technique is needed to overcome constraints. This case report aims to introduce an autologous chondrocyte patch fabrication technique to repair knee joint cartilage defects and report our typical cases with a 2-year follow-up.Case presentationWe described four cases in which patients complained of knee joint pain. According to radiological examination, the patients were diagnosed as knee joint cartilage defect. Arthroscopy and autologous chondrocyte patch implantation were performed as well as a 2-year follow up of patients. The autologous chondrocyte patch for knee joint cartilage repair was fabricated using a "sandwich" technique. The preoperative and postoperative knee function was evaluated by four subjective evaluation systems. MRI was performed for all patients to achieve more intuitionistic observation of the postoperative radiological changes of defect sites. The quality of repaired tissue was evaluated by Magnetic Resonance Observation of Cartilage Repair Tissue (MOCART). Postoperative follow-up showed improvement in clinical and MOCART scores for all patients. However, one patient complained of knee joint pain after walking for a long time or recreational activities from 12- to 18-month postoperatively. The location of pain for this patient was not in accordance with the location of cartilage defect.ConclusionThe patients undergoing autologous chondrocyte patch implantation demonstrated clinical improvement and good quality of repaired tissue postoperatively. The procedure is an efficient and cost-effective treatment for knee joint cartilage defect in this report. In addition, patients with osteoarthritis carry the risk of a poor outcome after the procedure, and whether to have a procedure should be considered carefully.

Dataset Information

Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation Is Not Better Than Arthroscopic Debridement for the Treatment of Symptomatic Cartilage Lesions of the Knee: Two-Year Results From a Randomized-Controlled Trial.

Purpose

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Level of evidence

Publications

Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation Is Not Better Than Arthroscopic Debridement for the Treatment of Symptomatic Cartilage Lesions of the Knee: Two-Year Results From a Randomized-Controlled Trial.

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