Shanghai medics claim world's first success with unique hip joint transplant
Medical experts in Shanghai have announced the world's first success in transplanting patients' own rib cartilage to repair large lesion on the hip joint.
A total of 20 patients younger than 40 years old with substantial hip pain and dysfunction participated the three-year clinical trial and all reported positive results, with their pain greatly easing and CT scans showing a good integration between the hip joint and the implanted cartilage.
Osteochondral injury and lesion among young and middle-aged people is a long-term headache in the medical field. Though stem cell and tissue engineering technology continue to make progress, there is no effective method to repair large-coverage injury on the hip, knee and ankle joints.
Due to causes such as aging, inheritance and sports, the number of young patients with joint injuries is rising.
Patient's own rib cartilage is used for grafting to treat the large lesion on the hip joint.
"While joint replacement surgery is a solution, young and middle-aged patients have to undergo a second surgery because of the lifespan of implanted devices. For patients younger than 60 years, there is a high chance of repeated surgery," said Dr Zhang Changqing from Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital and a leading expert in the research.
"So our research has a very positive impact in boosting patients' health, reducing medical burden and improving China's clinical capability on big joint treatment," he added.
During animal experiments, Zhang's team found that the animals' own costal cartilage can be used to repair their knee joint lesion. Based on the discovery, they started to introduce the method to repair soft bone injury on human hip, knee and ankle joints and achieved good results.
Dr Zhang Changqing from Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital during surgery.
To further confirm the technology's clinical effects, the team launched a three-year follow-up study on the 20 young patients, who all suffered from large osteochondral lesion of the Femoral Head and were treated with their own costal cartilage grafting.
The trial testified the technology's safety and effects.
The results suggest that costal cartilage grafting is a feasible method for improving the function and life quality of young patients and promising long-term outcomes are possible because of the good integration between the implants and recipient's position.
No patients suffered serious complications during the trial. And it can enhance joint function, reduce pain, improve life quality and delay or avoid early joint transplant, bringing hope for young patients.
"With the development of 3D printing technology, we are confident the rebuilt joint will have better repairing effects in the future. A human's own large storage of costal cartilage also can meet the requirement for multiple repairing surgery, which is important to young patients," Zhang pointed out.
The research was published by world-leading The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.
