Conditions: Articular Cartilage Lesion of the Femoral Condyle
Keywords: Cartilage Articular Femoral Knee
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 118
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
This is a phase III, multicenter, open-label, randomized controlled trial of ChondroCelect® in an Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (ACI) procedure compared to the procedure of microfracture (MF) in the repair of symptomatic cartilage lesions of the knee. Eligible patients attended two screening visits and were booked for arthroscopy approximately 2 weeks later. At that time, patients were randomized to either ACI with ChondroCelect® or to MF, a procedure in which the subchondral bone is perforated to allow a bloodcloth to form scar tissue. Patients randomized to MF had the procedure performed at the time of their arthroscopy; those randomized to ACI with ChondroCelect® had their cells harvested during the arthroscopy and then returned to the clinic approximately 4 weeks later for an open knee procedure, during which the ACI procedure using ChondroCelect® was performed. Patients subsequently followed the same rehabilitation program and had follow-up assessments up to 12 months post-surgery. The 12-month visit was the end-of-study visit for the TIG/ACT/01/2000 protocol. Subject to satisfying the eligibility criteria, patients who had participated in the initial 12 month trial could enter the extension trial. The 12-month visit for the initial study was the baseline visit for the extension study. During the extension study, patients have follow-up assessments up to 60 months post-surgery.

Detailed description:
see above

Arms:
arm 1: None arm 2: None

Interventions: intervention 1: ChondroCelect implantation intervention 2: Microfracture
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: 10.000 cells/µl cell suspension for implantation (Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation). ChondroCelect consists of characterised autologous cartilage-forming cells expressing a specific marker profile.

The dose depends on the size of the lesion. Recommended dose is 0.8 to 1.0 million cells/cm². intervention 2: A procedure in which the subchondral bone is perforated to allow a bloodcloth to form scar tissue.

Protocol document: