Products & Services

CartiGro^® ACT: Autologous Chondrocyte Transplantation

CartiGro^® plus Chondro-Gide^®: the system for a successful ACT!
Autologous Chondrocyte Transplantation (ACT) with CartiGro^® for the repair of large isolated cartilage defects of the knee joint. The combination of CartiGro^® cells with the Chondro-Gide^® collagen membrane (Geistlich Biomaterials, Wolhusen) provides the optimal matrix-system for cartilage repair.

CartiGro^® distribution partner in Europe is Stryker EMEA

Stryker SA
Cité-Centre, Grand-Rue 92
P.O. Box 1568
CH - 1820 Montreux
Switzerland

Tel.: +41 21 966 12 01
Fax: +41 21 966 12 00
Internet: www.europe.stryker.com

For further information about ACT or price estimations in Germany please contact the Stryker Customer Service:

Stryker GmbH & Co. KG
Dr.-Homer-Stryker-Platz 1
47228 Duisburg

Tel.: +49 2065-837 215
Fax: +49 2065-837 225
Internet: Stryker.de>Products>Biologics

Rationale for ACT as a treatment option for large cartilage defects of the joint:

It is known that hyalin articular cartilage has a very limited regenerative capacity for intrinsic repair. In addition, chondral defects have been implicated in the development of osteoarthritis. Therefore, early treatment of these defects may postpone or even prevent the early onset of osteoarthritis. Conventional treatment options are mainly based on the stimulation of subchondral bone marrow cells and result in the formation of fibrous repair tissue which has inferior functional properties when compared to the original hyalin cartilage. A different approach, the transplantation of autologous osteochondral grafts, is limited to smaller defect sizes because of the restricted availability of such grafts. Currently, the only method to induce the formation of functional hyaline-like tissue in large cartilage defects is the transplantation of autologous chondrocytes. CartiGro^® autologous chondrocytes have been successfully applied in more than 800 cases since 2000.