Tissue engineering in reconstructive surgery of bone and cartilage

Abstract

Molecular research has Bern the subject of considerable interest in recent years. The same can also be said for tissue engineering, which has ushered us into a world previously accessible only in science fiction. The possibility of creating human tissue opens the road for reconstructive surgery using biologically matched grafts. Some of the tissue engineering methods that pertain to orthopedics have already found application in the clinic. Among these are operations to reconstruct defects of joint cartilage, based on the in vitro multiplication of chondrocytes isolated from cartilage fragments previously collected arthroscopically. By applying tissue engineering technology we will soon be able to culture the patient's own bone tissue needed to fill defects in the bone bed. At some point in the not too distant future we will be able to graft entire joint ends, instead of the joint endoprosthesoplastic procedures currently in use. Tissue engineering, like every new field of science, prompts emotional reactions not only in medical circles, but also in many social groups. Let us hoper for fulfillment of the anticipation that a way will be found to overcome disabilities involving the locomotor apparatus.<br /> The authors, who come from varying theoretical and clinical settings, present a short history of tissue engineering, based on their own experience and the available literature, the current possibilities to use tissue engineering in the reconstruction of bone and cartilage, and the prospects for development in the field in the near future.