Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ICC) is a unique technique currently available with the ability to regenerate articular cartilage ad integrum. It is, furthermore, of all known regenerative therapies, the only one that restores hyaline cartilage, making the implant site imperceptible in a few months, due to its complete joint integration. This characteristic is not limited only to the structural but also to the functional, which allows the patient to resume high-performance sports activities after rehabilitation.
Although this technique is the first choice in athletes, any patient between the ages of 11 and 60 can be a candidate for a CHF, with excellent results demonstrated, especially in the youngest. ICC Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation is an advanced cell-based therapy that has FDA and EMA approval. Its efficacy has been widely demonstrated in the treatment of focal chondropathies, small lesions <1cm, medium-sized lesions 1 to 3cm, and large lesions >3cm, in osteochondritis dissecans, and after previous repair surgeries.
In large lesions, its results exceed those of any other commonly used therapy, such as debridement, perforation, microfractures, mosaicplasty, and it is only comparable in this aspect with cadaveric osteochondral allograft, but which, however, unlike ICC presents a higher risk of future relapse.
The ICC technique has been developed by Dr. Pedro Guillen García, a Spanish traumatologist of international importance due to his vast career and dedication to the recovery of elite athletes, enabling their reincorporation into high-performance sports.
Over time, quality of life has become a variable that patients consider when undergoing a procedure. The decision made regarding a tissue with regeneration potential must be focused on the interest of the patient and on safeguarding their own tissues and their joint health to avoid functional limitations, premature withdrawal from their sporting activity and chronic pain.
An additional advantage that this cell therapy incorporates is the possibility of preserving cartilage to be able to use it against future injuries. Any patient who must undergo arthroscopy has the possibility of requesting cryopresevation by means of a simple biopsy the size of 2 or 3 grains of rice that your doctor can keep in the corresponding Pre-ICC kit.
In recent years, due to the rise of regenerative therapies, there are a number of offers for the treatment of joint injuries. However, it is important to clarify the enormous difference that these techniques have compared to the ICC technique. The ICC technique uses a small sample of autologous (patient’s own) cartilage whose cells are called chondrocytes. These cells are cultivated in a specialized laboratory and as a result a sufficient dose is obtained to regenerate the injured tissue.
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by CEDOC