Follow-Up Study Evaluating the Long Term Outcome of ChondroMimetic in the Treatment of Osteochondral Defects in the Knee

Abstract

Scaffolds are thought to be a key element needed for successful cartilage repair treatments, and this prospective extension study aimed to evaluate long-term structural and clinical outcomes following osteochondral defect treatment with a cell-free biphasic scaffold. Structural outcomes were assessed using quantitative 3-D magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and morphological segmentation to determine the percentage of defect filling and repair cartilage T2 relaxation times, and clinical outcomes were determined with the modified Cincinnati Rating System, and the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS). Seventeen subjects with osteochondral defects in the knee were treated with ChondroMimetic scaffolds, from which 15 returned for long-term evaluation at a mean follow-up of 7.9 ± 0.3 years. The defects treated were trochlear donor sites for mosaicplasty in 13 subjects, and medial femoral condyle defects in 2 subjects. MRI analysis of scaffold-treated defects found a mean total defect filling of 95.2 ± 3.6%, and a tissue mean T2 relaxation time of 52.5 ± 4.8 ms, which was identical to the T2 of ipsilateral control cartilage (52.3 ± 9.2 ms). The overall modified Cincinnati Rating System score was statistically significant from baseline (p = 0.0065), and KOOS subscales were equivalent to other cartilage repair techniques. ChondroMimetic treatment resulted in a consistently high degree of osteochondral defect filling with durable, cartilage-like repair tissue at 7.9 years, potentially associated with clinical improvement.

Cartilage Repair and Regeneration: Focus on Multi-Disciplinary Strategies—Highlight on Magneto-Responsive Techniques

“…Several approaches have been evaluated for the cartilage regenerative outcomes including 3D bioprinting, cell-free biphasic scaffolds, mosaicplasty, MACT, and stem cell therapy [3][4][5]19,22]. Many of them giving encouraging results.…”

“…They observed a successful formation of a new cartilage-like tissue with a cell-density dependent zonal gradient. In another study by Berta et al [4] a cell-free biphasic scaffold (ChondroMimetic) was evaluated for long-term outcomes in the treatment of osteochondral defects. The authors observed a cartilage-like repair tissue formation and clinical improvement at 7.9 years post-implantation.…”