The future of treatment for chondral and osteochondral lesions

The population of patients with symptomatic focal or generalized cartilage lesions is growing due to prolongation of life expectancy and to increasing frequency of sports injuries. Cartilage tissue lesions which were defined as untreatable in the past have now become treatable thanks to advances in basic scientific research. With the development of technologies regarding biomaterial, cell and local regulators, and with the introduction of new surgical techniques, it is estimated that, in the near future, clinical applications of cartilage tissue engineering will also receive particular attention in our country. Currently, all alternatives used in the treatment of cartilage lesions have merits and demerits, including arthroscopic debridement and lavage, mesenchymal stem cell stimulation, osteochondral replacement techniques, and autologous chondrocyte transplantation. Preliminary results of experimental cartilage tissue engineering are encouraging for the replacement of disrupted tissue with that having mechanical properties of hyaline cartilage. Clinical applications of cartilage tissue engineering include bioabsorbable scaffolds as extracellular collagen, hyaluronic acid matrices, and genetically engineered bioactive materials.