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Is CARTICEL right for your patient?

CARTICEL is clinically appropriate for patients with articular cartilage damage in the femoral condyle (medial, lateral, trochlea) caused by acute and repetitive trauma who have failed a prior arthroscopic or other surgical repair procedure (e.g., debridement, microfracture, drilling/abrasion arthroplasty or osteochondral allograft/autograft).

Frequently, an articular cartilage defect may be identified based on a patient’s symptoms and clinical evaluation, or may be identified during surgical treatment for another procedure such as ACL or meniscal repair. Patient motivation and expectations, including commitment to rehabilitation, should be considered when determining if CARTICEL is the right choice for your patient.

Here are some additional factors to consider:

Patient Factors

• Has the patient been treated for a prior cartilage repair procedure, such as debridement, microfracture, drilling/abrasion arthroplasty or osteochondral allograft/autograft?
• Did the patient receive an optimal result from the first procedure? For example, has the patient been able to return to the activities they desire since a prior treatment for the cartilage defect?
• Has the patient compromised or altered their daily activities and/or their ability to participate in sports due to pain or other symptoms?
• What are the patient’s expectations regarding return to function?
• Is this patient willing to comply with rehabilitation requirements?

Joint Factors

• Are there any comorbidities?
•  Joint malalignment, ligament instability/deficiency or meniscal pathology) should be treated prior to or concomitantly with CARTICEL implantation.
• The joint should be relatively healthy and the defect should be contained or partially contained by healthy surrounding cartilage.
• Patients with osteoarthritis should not be considered for CARTICEL implantation.

Defect Factors

• What is the size of the defect? There is no size restriction on lesions treated with CARTICEL. The average lesion size treated with CARTICEL is 4 cm².
• Is there bony involvement? CARTICEL has demonstrated efficacy in treating patients with osteochondritis dissecans.
• Where is the defect located? CARTICEL is approved to treat articular cartilage injuries in the femoral condyle (medial, lateral, trochlea).

 

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