Materials and methods for repair of cartilage defects
AssigneeOrthovita, Inc.
InventorMarc Gilles Long
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method for repairing a cartilage defect including: preparing a cartilage defect by removing unwanted or damaged tissue; creating at least one perforation into or through subchondral bone, below and/or adjacent to the cartilage defect to induce the flow of bone fluid; allowing the bone fluid to bleed through the at least one perforation up into the cartilage defect to fill at least a portion of the cartilage defect; and applying a biomaterial into the defect to produce a clot for cartilage regeneration.
Claims20
A method for repairing a cartilage defect comprising:
- creating at least one perforation into or through subchondral bone, below and/or adjacent to the cartilage defect to induce the flow of bone fluid;
- allowing the bone fluid to bleed through the at least one perforation and into the cartilage defect to fill at least a portion of a volume of the cartilage defect thereby providing a first volume of bone fluid in the cartilage defect;
- and
- after allowing bleeding into the cartilage defect, applying a biomaterial into the first volume of the cartilage defect so that the biomaterial intermixes with the bone fluid to produce an enhanced clot for cartilage regeneration,
- wherein the intermixing of the biomaterial and the bone fluid occurs in a defined volume within the first volume.
A method for repairing a cartilage defect in-situ comprising:
- creating at least one perforation into or through subchondral bone below and/or adjacent to the cartilage defect to induce the flow of bone fluid;
- positioning an applicator over the cartilage defect and the at least one perforation;
- allowing the bone fluid to bleed through the at least one perforation and into the cartilage defect to fill at least a portion of the cartilage defect and form a bloody bed;
- and
- after the bloody bed is formed, using the applicator to apply a biomaterial into the bone fluid of the bloody bed located above the subchondral bone so that the biomaterial intermixes with the bone fluid, the intermixing producing an enhanced clot for cartilage regeneration.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.