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Articular cartilage damage

Damage to knee articular cartilage can occur from trauma to the knee or while playing sports, exercising, working or simply performing everyday activities. Chronic knee pain is common. In addition to pain, symptoms such as swelling, clicking, locking and catching can limit even simple tasks such as climbing stairs. The source of these problems may indicate a knee cartilage injury.

Articular cartilage does not have the ability to heal on its own. Normally, blood vessels bring nutrients and cells to help heal an injured area. Cartilage doesn’t have blood vessels, so it can’t heal itself. Damaged articular cartilage can irritate the joint, which may become inflamed and painful. When the injury is large enough, the cartilage no longer protects the bone underneath it; the pain increases, and if the injury is not treated it may get worse.

Use the interactive tool below for a closer look at the differences between small, medium, and large articular cartilage lesions.

Click to view Cartilage Damage

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Indication

Carticel® (autologous cultured chondrocytes) is an autologous cellular product indicated for the repair of symptomatic cartilage defects of the femoral condyle (medial, lateral or trochlea), caused by acute or repetitive trauma, in patients who have had an inadequate response to a prior arthroscopic or other surgical repair procedure (e.g., debridement, microfracture, drilling/abrasion arthroplasty, or osteochondral allograft/autograft).

CARTICEL should only be used in conjunction with debridement, placement of a periosteal flap and rehabilitation. The independent contributions of the autologous cultured chondrocytes and other components of the therapy to outcome are unknown.

CARTICEL is not indicated for the treatment of cartilage damage associated with generalized osteoarthritis.

CARTICEL is not recommended for patients with total meniscectomy unless surgically reconstructed prior to or concurrent with CARTICEL implantation.

Important Safety Information

CARTICEL should not be used in patients with a known history of hypersensitivity to gentamicin, other aminoglycosides or materials of bovine origin.

It should not be used in patients who have previously had cancer in the bones, cartilage, fat or muscle of the treated limb.

Pre-existing conditions, including meniscal tears, joint instability, or malalignment should be assessed and treated prior to or concurrent with CARTICEL implantation.

CARTICEL is not routinely tested for transmissible infectious diseases and may transmit disease to the healthcare provider handling CARTICEL.

Use of CARTICEL in children, patients over age 65, or in joints other than the knee has not yet been assessed.

The occurrence of subsequent surgical procedures (SSPs), primarily arthroscopy, following CARTICEL implantation is common. In the Study of the Treatment of Articular Repair (STAR), forty-nine percent (49%) of patients underwent an SSP on the treated knee, irrespective of their relationship to CARTICEL, during the 4-year follow up. The most common serious adverse events (≥5% of patients), derived from STAR, include arthrofibrosis/joint adhesions, graft overgrowth, chondromalacia or chondrosis, cartilage injury, graft complication, meniscal lesion, graft delamination, and osteoarthritis.

For more information on CARTICEL, please see the Package Insert (PDF).

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Have Questions?

Check out our FAQs for answers—or contact a Carticel Care^® Coordinator at 800-453-6948, Option #2, for more detailed information.

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