This is a bibliographic record of a published health technology assessment. No evaluation of the quality of this assessment has been made for the HTA database.

The aim of this review was to evaluate the risks, benefits and economic costs of chondrocyte transplantation for the treatment of hyaline cartilage loss in knee joints. Specific objectives were first, to identify types of knee disease for which chondrocyte transplantation has been applied. Second, to describe the natural history of these conditions. Third to describe alternative treatment options. Fourth, to determine long term outcomes, and finally to analyse the economic efficiency, specifically cost-utility, or gains from this procedure expressed as quality-adjusted life years (QALY).

Knee injuries arising from sporting activity are common. Such injuries can lead to knee hyaline cartilage damage (as opposed to meniscal injuries which are also referred to as cartilage damage by lay-persons). How commonly hyaline cartilage damage occurs is not clear, and the natural history of such injuries is poorly understood. Orthopaedic and trauma surgeons use a variety of techniques to treat these lesions but few treatments, including autologous chondrocyte transplantation, have been tested in controlled studies. This report is based on studies of patient cohorts with hyaline cartilage defects. These studies indicate that, over a period of 2 years, 60-70% of patients have improved symptoms with a variety of treatments.

In the absence of controlled trials autologous chondrocyte transplantation should be regarded as an experimental therapy. It is recommended that suitable patients are included in randomised trials co-ordinated at National level. Routine commissioning of this procedure cannot be recommended.