Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Oct;8(5):670-9.

The role of rehabilitation following autologous chondrocyte implantation: a retrospective chart review

Jenny L Toonstra  1 , Jennifer S Howard, Timothy L Uhl, Robert A English, Carl G Mattacola
Affiliations

The role of rehabilitation following autologous chondrocyte implantation: a retrospective chart review

Jenny L Toonstra et al. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2013 Oct.

Abstract

Purpose/background: Clinical outcomes following autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) are influenced by multiple factors, including patient demographics, lesion characteristics, quality of the surgical repair, and post-operative rehabilitation. However, it is currently unknown what specific characteristics of rehabilitation have the greatest influence on clinical outcomes following ACI. The purpose of this study was to conduct a retrospective chart review of patients undergoing ACI with the intent to describe this patient population's demographics, clinical outcomes, and rehabilitation practices. This study aimed to assess the consistency of the documentation process relative to post-operative rehabilitation in order to provide information and guide initiatives for improving the quality of rehabilitation practices following ACI.

Methods: The medical records of patients treated for chondral defect(s) of the knee who subsequently underwent the ACI procedure were retrospectively reviewed. A systematic review of medical, surgical, and rehabilitation records was performed. In addition, patient-reported outcome measures (IKDC, WOMAC, Lysholm, SF-36) recorded pre-operatively, and 3, 6, and 12 months post-operatively were extracted from an existing database.

Results: 20 medical charts (35.9 ± 6.8 years; 9 male, 11 female) were systematically reviewed. The average IKDC, WOMAC, Lysholm, and SF-36 scores all improved from baseline to 3, 6 and 12 months post-operatively, with the greatest changes occurring at 6 and 12 months. There was inconsistent documentation relative to post-operative rehabilitation, including CPM use, weight-bearing progression, home-exercise compliance, and strength progressions.

Conclusions: Due to variations in the documentation process, the authors were unable to determine what specific components of rehabilitation influence the recovery process. In order to further understand how rehabilitation practices influence outcomes following ACI, specific components of the rehabilitation process must be consistently and systematically documented over time.

Level of evidence: 2C.

Keywords: autologous chondrocyte implantation; chart review; clinical outcome; rehabilitation.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Buckwalter JA, Lane NE. Athletics and osteoarthritis. Am J Sports Med. 1997;25(6):873–881 - PubMed
    1. Shapiro F, Koide S, Glimcher MJ. Cell origin and differentiation in the repair of full‐thickness defects of articular cartilage. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1993;75(4):532–553 - PubMed
    1. Lefkoe TP, Trafton PG, Ehrlich MG, et al. An experimental model of femoral condylar defect leading to osteoarthrosis. J Orthop Trauma. 1993;7(5):458–467 - PubMed
    1. Tetteh ES, Bajaj S, Ghodadra NS. Basic science and surgical treatment options for articular cartilage injuries of the knee. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2012;42(3):243–253 - PubMed
    1. Brittberg M, Lindahl A, Nilsson A, et al. Treatment of deep cartilage defects in the knee with autologous chondrocyte transplantation. The New England Journal Of Medicine. 1994;331(14):889–895 - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources