Cartilage Transplantation
Preserving Your Joint.
Restoring Your Movement.
Advanced cartilage transplantation techniques focused on preserving the natural joint and helping patients return to an active life.
Cartilage Transplantation
Osteochondral cartilage allografts are increasingly used in orthopaedic surgery. It is a treatment method particularly used for cartilage damage that is severe and cannot be repaired with other cartilage treatment methods. First used in America, this treatment method replaces damaged cartilage tissue with intact hyaline cartilage obtained from organ donors. Other cartilage treatment methods use fibrocartilage, which is weaker than the original cartilage. Since undamaged cartilage is transplanted with cartilage transplantation, patients have the opportunity to be treated with cartilage of a quality and strength that cannot be achieved with other treatment methods.
How Is a Cartilage Donor Determined?
When a potential donor is identified, the necessary information is first obtained to determine the donor’s eligibility. A detailed social and medical history of the donor is obtained from the donor’s closest relatives or people who know the donor well. The assessment of the medical history includes high-risk social behaviors (tattoos, piercings), unusual environmental exposure, medication use, habits, and medical conditions such as cancer. The decision to accept or reject the tissue is based on the answers to these questions.
Following the donor’s death, the tissue must be aseptically removed within 24 hours using techniques appropriate for orthopaedic surgical asepsis in an operating room or an environment where sterile conditions are maintained.
How Is Cartilage Tissue Prepared and Sterilized?
Cartilage allografts are processed and used aseptically. These grafts must be carefully checked for bacterial contamination. Solutions prepared by mixing various chemical substances such as antibiotics, alcohol and/or detergents may be used for tissue storage and sterilization. Regardless of the substances used, the purpose of the solution should be to eliminate all microorganisms in the tissue while having the least possible effect on the performance of the allograft.
After the grafts are cleaned and processed, they are packaged and stored. The grafts are stored for up to 28 days at temperatures of up to 10°C. Allografts that have been stored for less than 28 days and have undergone all required tests are safe for human implantation.
Cartilage grafts should be transported to the surgical center in dry ice, inside insulated foam containers that prevent direct contact with the ice.
The location and localization of the patient’s damaged cartilage tissue are determined. The intact cartilage obtained from the donor is replaced with the patient’s damaged cartilage. For the treatment to be successful, a graft of appropriate size must be obtained, and the surgery must be performed carefully, paying attention to the appropriate angles.
The success of cartilage surgery is increased when it is performed by individuals who have received domestic and international training in this field and have been trained by experienced professionals in cartilage transplantation.
Fresh knee cartilage transplantation was first performed in Türkiye at Yeditepe University Hospital by Dr. Gökhan Meriç.
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