- Dr. Mark Munson, Lakeland Regional Orthopedic Associates
There is an innovative, new treatment in town for those suffering from gaps or holes in joint cartilage. Lakeland Regional Orthopedic Associates’ Mark Munson, MD, is now using the Zimmer DeNovo® Natural Tissue (NT) Graft to offer an early intervention option to treat cartilage defects. The treatment has the potential to repair cartilage defects of the hip, knee, ankle, shoulder, elbow and more – all of which are commonly caused by sports-related injuries or in cases of trauma.
“This technology offers patients a new generation of early treatment options for articular cartilage defects,” says Munson. “In the past, sudden loss of cartilage, down to the bone, was frequently irreplaceable due to the slow growth of adult cartilage. The DeNovo treatment gives us a solution for rapid cartilage growth capable of filling defects up to one inch in diameter, thereby, preventing joint replacement,” says Munson.
A recently published peer-reviewed article in the American Journal of Knee Surgery reported successful outcomes from surgeries performed using the DeNovo NT Graft. The article highlighted a patient who realized improvement in both pain and function at two-year post-operative visits after the DeNovo NT Graft implantation (for treatment of a symptomatic cartilage lesion in the patella).
Additionally, interim data from an ongoing prospective study on the use of DeNovo NT Graft in 25 knee patients was reported at the International Cartilage Repair Society meeting in Barcelona, Spain in September 2010, showing pain and function improvements at 6, 12 and 18 month follow-ups. As of early 2011, more than 2,000 patients had been treated with DeNovo NT Graft. Surgeons are encouraged by such positive early results, and Lakeland Regional Orthopedic Associates is excited to offer this technology to patients who are suffering from joint pain due to an anatomic cartilage defect.
To schedule an appointment to discuss whether you are a candidate for DeNovo NT Graft surgery, please contact Lakeland Regional Orthopedic Associates at 863-687-1250.