Particulated Cartilage for Chondral and Osteochondral Repair: A Review

Injuries to articular cartilage have a poor spontaneous repair potential and no gold standard treatment exist. Particulated cartilage, both auto- and allograft, is a promising new treatment method that circumvents the high cost of scaffold- and cell-based treatments.

A comprehensive database search on particulated cartilage was performed.

Fourteen animal studies have found particulated cartilage to be an effective treatment for cartilage injuries. Many studies suggest that juvenile cartilage has increased regenerative potential compared to adult cartilage. Sixteen clinical studies on 4 different treatment methods have been published. (1) CAIS, particulated autologous cartilage in a scaffold, (2) Denovo NT, juvenile human allograft cartilage embedded in fibrin glue, (3) autologous cartilage chips-with and without concomitant bone grafting, and (4) augmented autologous cartilage chips.

Implantation of allogeneic and autologous particulated cartilage provides a low cost and effective treatment alternative to microfracture and autologous chondrocyte implantation. The methods are promising, but large randomized controlled studies are needed.