One Step Cartilage Repair with CARTIHEAL: Multi-Compartment Pathology with Osteoarthritis

CARTIHEAL AGILI-C is a single-stage cartilage and bone implant used to treat focal cartilage defects in the knee. It is placed during one operation rather than requiring a biopsy followed by a second implant surgery, which simplifies the patient experience compared with cell-based options. We use it for selected defects on the groove of the thigh bone (the trochlea) and the rounded surfaces at the bottom of the thigh bone (the femoral condyles).

In our practice, AGILI-C is particularly useful for narrow central defects on the groove of the thigh bone with swelling in the underlying bone, smaller symptomatic defects on the rounded surfaces of the thigh bone, and multi-lesion defects in patients with some early arthritis — but not yet advanced enough to consider joint replacement. These categories of patients used to have very limited surgical options short of joint replacement.

Yes. It has lowered the threshold to offer surgery in cases where, in the past, we would have just observed or treated symptoms because there was no good answer. Patients in those previously-untreatable categories tend to be highly satisfied. That said, careful selection is still essential — alignment, defect size, and overall joint condition all still drive whether AGILI-C is the right choice.