Knee cartilage surgery showdown: which technique wins?
NCT ID NCT05651997
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study compares two surgical methods for repairing large cartilage defects in the knee: augmented microfracture (AMT) and matrix-assisted chondrocyte implantation (MACT). It will enroll 80 people aged 15-50 with symptomatic defects. The goal is to see which technique better improves knee function and quality of life.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 80 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Dec 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2032
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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15 to 50 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Patients aged between 15-50 years * Symptomatic chondral and osteochondral defect, grade III and IV according to the ICRS classification, and size between 2.5 and 15 cm2 * Failure of a conservative treatment * Patient in good general condition, documented by an ASA score ≤ 2 (American Society of Anesthesiologists) * Patient considered compliant and able to participate in rehabilitation and pre- and post-operative follow-up * Consent to participate in the study Exclusion Criteria: * All inflammatory and synovial pathologies * Diffuse or mirror lesions * An unfavorable biomechanical environment * Obesity grade II or higher, with a BMI\>35 kg/m2 * Active smoking/ active drug dependency (hard drugs) * Poor compliance * The patient is already part of another clinical trial that may compromise the present study * Vulnerable populations (except minors aged 15-18 years) * Presence of open growth plate (15-18 years) * Pregnancy or planned pregnancy during the study (MRI-related contra-indication) * Proven allergy to penicillin and gentamicin (for MACT group) and porcine collagen (for both groups) For final inclusion, an additional exclusion criteria will be assessed after randomization: \- Positive to HIV, HBV, HCV, syphilis.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois - CHUV
Lausanne, Canton of Vaud, 1011, Switzerland
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Hôpital Fribourgeois- HFR
Fribourg, Canton of Fribourg, 1708, Switzerland
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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