Dr.A.K.Venkatachalam is one of the few surgeons in India offering stem cell treatment for cartilage and bone lesions as shown in the picture above.
Autologous cartilage cell implantation & autologous osteoblast implantation are the two procedures now available.
These procedures can heal localized bony & cartilage lesions in the knee joint. These lesions include osteochondritis dissecans, post traumatic cartilage lesions etc. They occur in young patients. The presently available procedures are micro fracture and mosaicplasty which has been done on patients from the USA.
The process involves harvesting stem cells from the patient arthroscopically and sending it to a lab in India for culture. At the highly specialized lab in India, these cells are manipulated by culturing them. The regenerate cells are returned to the surgeon who implants them during a second operation.
Following a course of post operative phyisotherapy, the patient notices better function. These young patients can postpone or avoid a knee replacement.
The cost is very reasonable as the whole process can be done in India. There is no necessity to send the sample to an overseas laboratory, says Dr.Venkatachalam.
See http://www.kneeindia.com/blog/?p=146
Medical tourism to India now can boast of one more feather in its cap.