Cartilage maturity
In a clinical study involving 98 patients across four countries, researchers tested two different approaches.
One group received implants that had only two days of lab maturation – similar to many existing treatments. The second group received implants that were allowed to mature for two weeks before surgery.
While both groups reported improvements, patients with more mature cartilage grafts continued to show progress even in the second year following their procedure. MRI scans further confirmed the benefits of the longer maturation period. These patients not only had better tissue quality at the implant site, but their surrounding cartilage also showed improvement.
Anke Wixmerten, a co-lead author of the study, emphasized that the additional maturation time only requires slightly more effort and cost but leads to significantly better outcomes.