Arthritis remains a widespread and yet unsolved therapeutic dilemma. Cartilage grafting has proven to be difficult and satisfactory results are often elusive. There are several inherent difficulties. These include both chondrocyte migration and the lack of sufficient uptake of nutrients to allow for graft survival. With autografts, there is also the paucity of symptom-free donor sites. Accordingly, multiple alternative therapies for cartilage regeneration and/or substitution have been developed over time. In this article, the authors shall discuss the options for the treatment of damaged cartilage with a focus on the cartilage grafting techniques.
Keywords: arthritis; cartilage implantation; upper extremity.