Apollo Hospitals, Chennai has performed One–step Minced Cartilage Procedure on a 69-year-old American patient who was affected with Grade 3 Osteoarthritis (Knee Joint). Dr. Madhan Thiruvengada, Senior Consultant, Orthopedic Surgeon at Apollo Hospitals and his team successfully completed the Minimally Invasive All Autologous Cartilage Repair Surgery.
Ms. Sarah Hassler, 69-year-old American, working as a teacher at an international school in Chennai started feeling pain in her knees, which started as a dull ache later progressed into sharp pain as she did small movements, it later restricted her from her day-to-day activities at school. She visited Apollo Hospitals, OMR with a growing knee pain that disturbed her daily work routine; Dr. Madhan Thiruvengada, diagnosed her with Grade 3 Osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis of the knee is the most common problem worldwide leading to disability. Almost 19% of population above 40 years and 50% of people above the age of 75 years in the world suffer from it. Knee replacement was the traditional method which helps the patient to lead a pain free life but compromising and avoiding physical activities like jogging, squatting, playing sport etc. Ms. Sarah Hassler underwent the new “One –step Minced Cartilage Procedure” which preserves the patient’s natural joint for many years.
Speaking about the procedure Dr. Madhan Thiruvengada who expertise in Arthroscopic Sport Injury procedures and Robotic Joint Replacement Surgery at Apollo Hospitals said “Usually the surgery for cartilage repair is a two-step process involving Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (ACI). This is done by harvesting and growing the patient’s own cartilage cells in the lab for 4-6 weeks following which the patient undergoes the second procedure for implanting the grown cartilage tissue.”
He also added, “The One –step Minced Cartilage Procedure Transplants a portion of a healthy cartilage particulated from the same knee of the patient through a keyhole incision along with a bioactive material to the damaged portion of the cartilage, thereby reducing recovery time. The entire procedure is autologous, there is no usage of chemical agents during the procedure, making it a completely safe procedure for the patient.”
The patient recovered well and was discharged within a day. She is active and within 3-4 weeks following the procedure she had been on an international vacation without any hassle.
