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Review
. 2022 Jan 28;34(1):1.
doi: 10.1186/s43019-022-00132-8.

Past, present, and future of cartilage restoration: from localized defect to arthritis

Dong Hwan Lee  1 , Seok Jung Kim  2 , Seon Ae Kim  1 , Gang-Ik Ju  1
Affiliations
Review

Past, present, and future of cartilage restoration: from localized defect to arthritis

Dong Hwan Lee et al. Knee Surg Relat Res. .

Abstract

Background: Osteoarthritis, one of the most common joint diseases, is characterized by the loss of joint function due to articular cartilage destruction. Herein, we review current and previous research involving the clinical applications of arthritis therapy and suggest potential therapeutic options for osteoarthritis in the future.

Past, present, and future treatment: The arthroscopic cartilage regeneration procedure or realignment osteotomy has been performed as a joint-conserving procedure in cases where conservative treatment for damaged articular cartilage and early osteoarthritis failed. If cartilage regeneration is ineffective or if the joint damage progresses, arthroplasty is the main treatment option. The need for biological arthritis treatment has expanded as the healthy lifespan of the global population has increased. Accordingly, minimally invasive surgical treatment has been developed for the treatment of damaged cartilage and early osteoarthritis. However, patients generally prefer to avoid all types of surgery, including minimally invasive surgery. Therefore, in the future, the treatment of osteoarthritis will likely involve injection or medication.

Conclusion: Currently, arthritis management primarily involves the surgical application of therapeutic agents to the joints. However, nonsurgical or prophylactic methods are expected to become mainstream arthritis therapies in the future.

Keywords: Arthritis; Biological treatment; Minimally invasive surgery; Osteoarthritis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Images of cartilage defects with multiple sites of drilling a at the time of surgery, and b via arthroscopy 2-years postsurgery are shown
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Images of a cartilage defect of the medial femoral condyle a, b after microfracture was performed, and c at 1-year follow-up via magnetic resonance imaging are shown. The yellow arrow indicates repaired tissue
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Images of a cartilage defect of medial femoral condyle are shown a, b after undergoing drilling at multiple sites, c when CARTISTEM® was applied to the defect, and d via second-look arthroscopy performed 2-years postsurgery
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Images of a cartilage defect of trochlear are shown a after creation of multiple drilling sites, b when CartiRegen® was applied to the defect arthroscopically, and c via second-look arthroscopy performed 2-years postsurgery
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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