1st successful cartilage transplant performed

The doctors said that this is the first time the procedure has been performed successfully in the city to transplant the cartilage. “The patient was admitted after she had an accidental fall while climbing a staircase. She had complaints of difficulty in walking. After the patient was clinically examined, a condition called Osteochondritis Dissecans was diagnosed. It is a condition where the cartilage and underlying bone structure of joints are damaged. This leads to disability in carrying out day to day activities,” said Dr Ananth Mohan Pai, Medical Superintendent.

AACT is a procedure where a small piece of healthy articular cartilage is collected from the patient’s knee, combined with platelet-rich plasma and applied on the lesion site with the help of an autologous sealant. The procedure is safe, single sitting and cost-effective in treating cartilage lesions. The doctors also spoke about the advantage of the surgery -- they can be applied in a single surgical procedure and it avoids the cumbersome process of cell culture or a separate scaffolding of joints. “In this surgery, the entire procedure is autologous, which means there is no usage of chemical agents during the entire treatment. Therefore, making it completely safe for all patients. The AACT procedure can be an effective alternative to standard autologous chondrocyte implantation. She started to walk a day after the surgery and did not have any pain while walking,” said Dr Nand Kumar Sundaram, Senior Consultant, Trauma and Orthopedic Surgeon.