Riparazione condrale one stage con cartilagine autologa su scaffold ibrido.

Different surgical procedures have been developed to enhance repair of articular cartilage defects. The study explains a new “one-stage” surgical procedure for “in situ” cartilage repair combining minced autologous cartilage fragments, as source of viable cells. The chondrogenic stimuli is attained with a resorbable scaffold composed of fibrin glue and high-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid derivative and platelets rich plasma. Cartilage explants from human and rabbit knees were in vitro cultured onto the scaffold. In experimental animal model (30 rabbits) large full thickness osteochondral defects were created and treated with cartilage fragments embedded in the scaffold or loaded with scaffold alone or left untreated (control subjects). Repair process was evaluated with morphological and histological analysis. Human and rabbit chondrocytes outgrowth into the scaffold was demonstrated in explant cultures. Repair process ”in -vivo” rabbit model showed presence of collagen type II in treated defects and improved cartilage healing of treated defects, compared to scaffold alone. This study suggests that autologous cartilage fragments embedded in HA/fibrin resorbable scaffold provide a viable source of cells and chondrogenic stimuli for one-stage non-culture based of full-thickness articular cartilage defects.