Eight-Year Study of Reconstructive Knee Surgery

An eight-year study has substantiated the efficacy and validity of using cryopreserved human meniscus cartilage in reconstructive surgery to restore knee function for patients suffering from meniscus damage. The results were presented to the Meniscus Transplantation Study Group, held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, in San Francisco.

The study results indicate that 90% of the 136 patients in the study reported their surgery a success, 80% rated their current knee function as normal to nearly normal, 86% reported freedom from graft removal, and 76% had good to excellent results at eight years. Pain levels were rated low, at an average of 2.7 on a 10-point scale.

The cryopreserved cartilage was provided by CryoLife, Inc. (Atlanta, GA, USA), a leader in the development and commercialization of tissue-engineered heart valves, vascular grafts, and protein-based surgical adhesives. In 1989, the company initiated a program for the recovery and cryopreservation of human meniscus tissue, providing orthopedic surgeons with the tissue necessary for normal knee function. Since inception of the program, CryoLife has provided meniscus tissue to support more than 3,410 implant procedures by 465 orthopedic surgeons in the United States and Canada.



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