Emerging Technologies in Cartilage Restoration

With the rising prevalence of obesity and injuries in sports, the treatment of articular cartilage is becoming increasingly important. The past two decades have brought about incredible advancements in the surgical intervention regarding cartilage injury including techniques such as osteochondral grafting, marrow stimulation, and autologous chondrocyte implantation. Techniques that have generated excitement include augmented microfracture, matrix-assisted ACI, matrix plus stem cell productions, minced cartilage productions, off-the-shelf osteochondral implants, and injectable agents. While these products have demonstrated promising clinical and histologic results, many remain unavailable in the United States due to FDA restrictions. More investigation is needed with clinical trials and research in order to establish these novel techniques as augmentations or stand-alone treatments within the cartilage restoration algorithm.