A 69-year-old schoolteacher recently underwent a surgery to repair her osteoarthritic knee.
Sarah Hassler, a music teacher at a city-based international school, was suffering from pain in the knee which restricted her movement. As her condition deteriorated, she visited the Apollo Hospitals on OMR, seeking help.
Madhan Thiruvengada, senior consultant orthopaedic surgeon, said she suffered from grade-3 osteoarthritis of the knee joint.
Dr. Madhan offered her a non-invasive one-stop minced cartilage procedure instead of the conventional two-step process where the patient’s cartilage cells are grown in the lab for around six weeks and then an autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) is performed.
The patient’s own cartilage was removed from the non-weight bearing side of the same knee and transplanted in the area with the damaged cartilage.
“A portion of the healthy cartilage is particulated from the same knee of the patient through a keyhole incision along with a bioactive material to the damaged portion of the cartilage, thereby reducing recovery time. The entire procedure is autologous, without any usage of chemical agents during the procedure, making it a completely safe procedure for the patient,” he said.
Ms. Hassler was discharged in a day. She had already undergone a procedure in the United States several years ago. On Thursday, she walked to the stage at the press meet and said she was planning an international holiday soon.
Across the world, almost 19% of the population above 40 years and 50% of people above the age of 75 suffer from osteoarthritis, Dr. Madhan said. However, selection for the procedure is decided on a case-by-case basis, he said.