Editorial Commentary: Cell-Based Therapy for Treatment of Chondral Lesions of the Patellofemoral Joint Using Particulated Juvenile Chondrocytes.

Abstract

The potential of cell-based therapies to fill articular cartilage defects is no longer a "pipe dream." Filling an articular cartilage defect with at least a "mixed hyaline cartilage" repair is no longer a question. The task at hand is somehow refining and defining the when, where, what, and how of the cartilage-growing procedures. The new ideas emerging are reflected in the recent literature, and all ideas regarding the specifics of these cartilage techniques and their outcomes should be welcomed. The information gained, that is, quality and quantity by magnetic resonance imaging and/or morphology (macro and micro), will allow the surgeon a choice as these techniques should certainly be part of a cartilage surgeon's armamentarium. No longer should microfracture and debridement be the only alternatives. Not only should we "save the meniscus" but we should also "save the articular cartilage."