Patent ID: 7468192

Claim:
A method for repair of cartilage lesions, said method comprising steps: a) preparing a porous support matrix containing a plurality of pores having a pore size from about 50 to about 500 μm, wherein said matrix is prepared as a porous sponge, porous scaffold, porous honeycomb or porous honeycomb-like lattice; b) seeding said support matrix with chondrocytes isolated from a donor and suspended in a collagenous solution or collagenous gel; c) applying a constant or cyclic hydrostatic pressure to the support matrix seeded with chondrocytes from step (b) for a period from about one hour to about 30 days followed by a resting period at a static atmospheric pressure for about one day to about 60 days, wherein said hydrostatic pressure is from about 0.01 MPa to about 10 MPa above atmospheric pressure; d) pre-treating a cartilage lesion by depositing a layer of a biologically acceptable bottom sealant into said lesion before implanting said seeded support matrix from step c) therein; e) implanting said seeded support matrix from step c) into said pre-treated lesion of step d); and f) depositing a layer of a biologically acceptable top sealant over said seeded support matrix from step c) implanted into said lesion.