| Meniscus cartilage transplants can provide prolonged pain relief and restore the functioning of arthritic knees, according to researchers at the Stone Research Foundation in San Francisco.
A study published in Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery (http://www.arthroscopyjournal.org) suggests that the transplant, known medically as meniscus allograft, can be a reliable treatment in degenerated knees for up to seven years.
Meniscus is the cartilege on the side of the knee joint that absorbs shock in your knee.
Until now, meniscus cartilage transplants generally have been performed only in young otherwise healthy knees with acute damage, often created by sports or accident. Doctors frequently have told 40-to-60 year old patients to live with their pain until they were older and then undergo an artificial knee replacement.
But the research published in the Journal of Arthroscopy found that higher- risk arthritic patients who received a transplant of meniscus cartilage from a cadaver enjoyed prolonged pain relief and restored functioning.
"The findings of this study will open doors for many arthritis patients suffering from pain and physical limitations," said Dr. Kevin R. Stone, orthopaedic surgeon at The Stone Clinic. "By offering meniscus allograft to young and old patients, the promise of greater mobility, comfort and quality of life includes delaying the time when joint replacement is needed."
Stone said a meniscus transplant permits "running and impact sports which are contraindicated in joint replacement."
Source: Medical Week staff, week of May 10, 2006 |
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