Rehabilitation Science

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Biostimulation of Knee Cartilage Using Autologous Micro-Grafts: A Preliminary Study of the Rigenera Protocol in Osteochondral Lesions of the Knee

Received: 26 September 2017    Accepted: 23 January 2018    Published: 23 January 2018
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Abstract

Osteochondral pathologies are associated with cartilage loss. Autologous micro-grafts, obtained from various tissues containing mesenchymal stem cells, has proven regenerative properties in various tissues. The study included patients with osteochondral pathology not responding to conventional therapies and considered suitable for treatment with autologous micro-graft. Fifteen days before the intervention, patients started treatment with chondroitin sulfate and supplementary vitamin C and zinc. Autologous micro-grafts were obtained from ear skin and cartilage, disaggregated using the Rigenera system, and injected into the knee under local anesthesia. After the intervention, patients underwent six-week rehabilitation program based on non-weight bearing exercises. Nine patients were enrolled into the study. The autologous graft transfer was successful in all patients, and no severe complications were recorded, including aesthetical defects in the donor site. Eight patients (88.9%) experienced an improvement in all subdomains of the WOMAC scale. The median (IR) improvement in the WOMAC scale was 22.0 (10.0 – 40.0) points. The MRI examination revealed the absence of space-occupying lesions in the knee and the surrounding soft tissues in all patients. An edema reduction was observed in 8 of 9 patients (88.9%); 3 patients (33.3%) showed a thickening of the cartilage line. Autologous micro-graft transfer using the Rigenera system is safe and has promising results in the treatment of chondral injuries associated with pain and function limiting.

DOI 10.11648/j.rs.20180301.12
Published in Rehabilitation Science (Volume 3, Issue 1, March 2018)
Page(s) 8-12
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Rigenera, Osteoartrhitis, Osteochondral Regions, Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Tissue Regeneration

References
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[13] Trovato L, Monti M, del Fante C, Cervio M, Lampinen M, Ambrosio L, et al. A New Medical Device Rigeneracons Allows to Obtain Viable Micro-Grafts From Mechanical Disaggregation of Human Tissues. J Cell Physiol. 2015 Oct; 230(10):2299–303.
[14] Purpura V, Bondioli E, Graziano A, Trovato L, Melandri D, Ghetti M, et al. Tissue Characterization after a New Disaggregation Method for Skin Micro-Grafts Generation. J Vis Exp. 2016 Mar 4;(109):e53579.
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Author Information
  • Hand Surgery and Microsurgery Unit, La Laguna, Spain

  • Department of Computer Science and Technology, International University of La Rioja, La Rioja, Spain

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  • APA Style

    Agustín Dorta Fernández, Ana Baroni Luengo. (2018). Biostimulation of Knee Cartilage Using Autologous Micro-Grafts: A Preliminary Study of the Rigenera Protocol in Osteochondral Lesions of the Knee. Rehabilitation Science, 3(1), 8-12. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.rs.20180301.12

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    ACS Style

    Agustín Dorta Fernández; Ana Baroni Luengo. Biostimulation of Knee Cartilage Using Autologous Micro-Grafts: A Preliminary Study of the Rigenera Protocol in Osteochondral Lesions of the Knee. Rehabil. Sci. 2018, 3(1), 8-12. doi: 10.11648/j.rs.20180301.12

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    AMA Style

    Agustín Dorta Fernández, Ana Baroni Luengo. Biostimulation of Knee Cartilage Using Autologous Micro-Grafts: A Preliminary Study of the Rigenera Protocol in Osteochondral Lesions of the Knee. Rehabil Sci. 2018;3(1):8-12. doi: 10.11648/j.rs.20180301.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.rs.20180301.12,
      author = {Agustín Dorta Fernández and Ana Baroni Luengo},
      title = {Biostimulation of Knee Cartilage Using Autologous Micro-Grafts: A Preliminary Study of the Rigenera Protocol in Osteochondral Lesions of the Knee},
      journal = {Rehabilitation Science},
      volume = {3},
      number = {1},
      pages = {8-12},
      doi = {10.11648/j.rs.20180301.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.rs.20180301.12},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.rs.20180301.12},
      abstract = {Osteochondral pathologies are associated with cartilage loss. Autologous micro-grafts, obtained from various tissues containing mesenchymal stem cells, has proven regenerative properties in various tissues. The study included patients with osteochondral pathology not responding to conventional therapies and considered suitable for treatment with autologous micro-graft. Fifteen days before the intervention, patients started treatment with chondroitin sulfate and supplementary vitamin C and zinc. Autologous micro-grafts were obtained from ear skin and cartilage, disaggregated using the Rigenera system, and injected into the knee under local anesthesia. After the intervention, patients underwent six-week rehabilitation program based on non-weight bearing exercises. Nine patients were enrolled into the study. The autologous graft transfer was successful in all patients, and no severe complications were recorded, including aesthetical defects in the donor site. Eight patients (88.9%) experienced an improvement in all subdomains of the WOMAC scale. The median (IR) improvement in the WOMAC scale was 22.0 (10.0 – 40.0) points. The MRI examination revealed the absence of space-occupying lesions in the knee and the surrounding soft tissues in all patients. An edema reduction was observed in 8 of 9 patients (88.9%); 3 patients (33.3%) showed a thickening of the cartilage line. Autologous micro-graft transfer using the Rigenera system is safe and has promising results in the treatment of chondral injuries associated with pain and function limiting.},
     year = {2018}
    }
    

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    T1  - Biostimulation of Knee Cartilage Using Autologous Micro-Grafts: A Preliminary Study of the Rigenera Protocol in Osteochondral Lesions of the Knee
    AU  - Agustín Dorta Fernández
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    Y1  - 2018/01/23
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    AB  - Osteochondral pathologies are associated with cartilage loss. Autologous micro-grafts, obtained from various tissues containing mesenchymal stem cells, has proven regenerative properties in various tissues. The study included patients with osteochondral pathology not responding to conventional therapies and considered suitable for treatment with autologous micro-graft. Fifteen days before the intervention, patients started treatment with chondroitin sulfate and supplementary vitamin C and zinc. Autologous micro-grafts were obtained from ear skin and cartilage, disaggregated using the Rigenera system, and injected into the knee under local anesthesia. After the intervention, patients underwent six-week rehabilitation program based on non-weight bearing exercises. Nine patients were enrolled into the study. The autologous graft transfer was successful in all patients, and no severe complications were recorded, including aesthetical defects in the donor site. Eight patients (88.9%) experienced an improvement in all subdomains of the WOMAC scale. The median (IR) improvement in the WOMAC scale was 22.0 (10.0 – 40.0) points. The MRI examination revealed the absence of space-occupying lesions in the knee and the surrounding soft tissues in all patients. An edema reduction was observed in 8 of 9 patients (88.9%); 3 patients (33.3%) showed a thickening of the cartilage line. Autologous micro-graft transfer using the Rigenera system is safe and has promising results in the treatment of chondral injuries associated with pain and function limiting.
    VL  - 3
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