Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Center of Ioannina

Chondral defects are considered one of the most challenging problems in orthopaedics. Several treatment options have been described, especially in the last 2 decades. Peterson, Brittberg, Lindahl, and their colleagues first published a description of autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) with the use of periosteum in the early 1990s; the technique has been performed in humans since 1987.2 The method has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration since 1994, being the first cellular product to be licensed.18