Transplant Story Bought Into Hype

* A strong exception is taken to the article in the Oct. 14 Orange County edition (“New to the Joint: Cartilage Growth Method Offers Knee Patients Relief”) regarding joint cartilage transplantation. This article touted the positive aspects of this procedure, in which defects in cartilage of the knee have been filled with laboratory-grown cartilage cells but failed to point out the experimental nature and possible negative aspects of the treatment.

The hype for this procedure stems from a Swedish study in which 16 cases were performed. The results were six excellent, eight good and two poor. It also pointed out that in the kneecap (where most of the cartilage defects occur) the results were very unfavorable: one excellent, one good, three fair and two poor.

The orthopedic community generally recognizes this procedure as experimental in nature and neither the author nor the two orthopedic surgeon proponents of the procedure pointed out this fact. The hospital orthopedic committee has specifically opposed further performance of this procedure until more experimental evidence is in.

The proper place for evaluating new surgical procedures is in a university setting with large controlled studies that are done at no cost on fully informed patients.

Lastly, an unknown factor is the possible development of malignancy in cells which have been cultured in a laboratory.

Only long-term results will prove the safety and efficacy of this new and interesting approach to a common orthopedic problem.

It is important that potential patients with this problem do not clamor for this experimental and expensive (approximately $30,000 for cell culture and two operations) procedure without being fully aware of the pros and cons.

DR. RAYMOND E. BERG

Orthopedic surgeon

Newport Beach