This article by Dr. Venkat describes his views on Cartilage Cell transplant, which he believes is a good alternative to Knee Replacement Surgery in young patients. Osteoarthritis is a well known disease affecting joints, mainly of the hip, knee.
Articular cartilage, the lining tissue at the ends of long bones is mainly affected. In Indians, knee osteoarthritis is very common and even younger people in their fourth decade have some earlier symptoms.
In this article I shall discuss the precursor of the disease, “cartilage lesion” and surgical methods to prevent or treat early cartilage disease. By availing of these alternate methods of surgery the need for joint replacement can be averted or postponed by younger people. I shall confine myself to the knee joint but the same principles can apply to any other joint.
Articular cartilage is the shiny tissue that lines the ends of bones participating in a joint. It is the natural shock absorber. Loss of this tissue is responsible for the development of osteoarthritis. Healthy cartilage is a bluish white, smooth, glistening tissue. It has no blood and nerve supply. It is precious since there is a limit to its complete regeneration unlike tissues in other organs and even in the underlying bone. Continue reading