Unfortunately this fibrocartilage has none of the biochemical or mechanical qualities of normal hyaline joint cartilage because it consists of primarily Type I collagen and typically will breakdown over time. It also doesn't have the wear, lubricating, or impact resistance capabilities of normal hyaline cartilage, which consists of Type II collagen. Genzyme Corp. Histological specimen of fibrocartilage. There is a fibrous appearance of the disorganized collagen fibers which consist of mostly Type I collagen. A specimen of normal articular cartilage.
Hyaline cartilage consists of mostly Type II collagen.
Genzyme Corp. Fortunately an exciting new surgical technique has recently been developed which has shown promising results in the battle against articular cartilage defects. The Carticel technique, based on the work of Swedish physician Dr. Lars Pederson, provides a safe commercial means of culturing and multiplying the patient's own articular cartilage cells in a slurry solution that is then reimplanted in the joint cartilage defect. What makes this procedure different from all the healing fibrocartilage techniques is that the live implanted cartilage cells produce a surrounding hyaline matrix which is biochemically similar to normal articular cartilage. This can provide relief of the pain, a return to active function, and presumably a lasting biologic repair. The Carticel procedure currently involves two surgeries.