World first cartilage treatment at UK hospital
17 December 2009
Spire Alexandra Hospital in Kent is providing a groundbreaking
new treatment for cartilage defects — the first of its kind worldwide.
The treatment enables damaged cartilage to be replaced by a specially
developed purified atelocollagen gel which is pliable and can be
manipulated to the precise size and shape needed for each individual
patient.
The Cartifill technique could benefit around 9,000 people each year —
that’s nine per cent of the 100,000 people in the UK who have cartilage
injuries that warrant repair.
The procedure is minimally invasive and can be carried out as a day
case, with an estimated recovery time for the patient of up to six
weeks. By contrast, alternative treatments such as knee arthroscopy
involve a three to four day hospital stay and a minimum of eight weeks
recovery.
The new Cartifill procedure has been developed in partnership between
Spire Healthcare, the UK’s second largest private hospital group, and
South Korean bio-medical company, RMS (Regenerative Medical System), a
part of the Sewon Collontech family which is the leading international
provider of stem cell harvesting and transplantation treatments.
Spire Healthcare’s Director of Clinical Services, Dr Jean-Jacques de
Gorter, explains: “Spire Healthcare is committed to supporting the
development of new and innovative procedures, helping to keep the UK at
the forefront of medical provision on a global level. This ultimately
means our patients can benefit from less invasive interventions and
quicker recovery.
“The state-of-the-art scanners across our network of modern hospitals
enable us to introduce new surgical techniques such as Cartifill. In
this case, the MRI T2 mapping scanner at Spire Alexandra Hospital allows
the surgical team to see the exact areas of damaged and healthy
cartilage. This means the repair is far more specific and tailored to
the patient’s exact needs.”
Dr de Gorter adds: “We’re delighted to be at the forefront of this
innovative technique, and are already receiving referrals from doctors
around the world wanting their patients to travel to the UK to undergo
this procedure.”
While RMS works in partnership with major healthcare providers
worldwide, it felt it important to launch Cartifill in the UK. Dr
Seok-jung Kim, Director of RMS and a recognised pioneer in the biotech
field, explains: “Launching Cartifill is a big step for us. The UK has
an international reputation as being at the frontier in medical
technology. Medical intervention here is vigorously regulated through
which exceptionally high standards are maintained. We respect this and
it comes as a gesture of international recognition that RMS has been
approved to operate here in Britain.”
The procedure itself is carried out by Mr Anan Shetty, Consultant
Orthopaedic Surgeon who specialises in knee surgery. Mr Shetty, who is
the only surgeon worldwide who has been trained to carry out this
procedure, said: “This is a very exciting advancement in orthopaedic
surgery — particularly knee surgery as the Cartifill technique is
predominantly beneficial to patients with cartilage damage to the
patella (knee cap).
“There is no blood supply to cartilage so the body cannot generate
new cells when it experiences cartilage injury. While the current
chondral autograft has some very good outcome results, it does not do
well for treatment to the patella so this is an area where this new
technique could revolutionise treatment of younger or particularly
active patients in need of knee replacement.”
Mr Shetty, who is also Senior Lecturer at Kings’ College, London,
continues: “The unique atelocollagen gel uses natural biomaterials as
opposed to synthetic material like hydrogel, which makes it
immunologically safe. It also contains natural regenerative properties.”
The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) is currently
being approached to consider accepting the Cartifill procedure; after
which Spire Healthcare plans to train consultant orthopaedic surgeons at
other Spire Hospitals across the UK.
The procedure is covered by private medical insurers as well as being
available for self-paying patients for a fixed price which is agreed in
advance.