Cartilage cells introduced into joints form new cartilage, attach to bones
By Robert Mitchum
An Ironman triathlete, Gregg Szilagyi never could have expected the hazard that destroyed his knee and effectively ended his athletic pursuits: a runaway poodle.
The blind-side collision led to knee surgery for Szilagyi, 46. And with the accident, surgery and his years of triathlon training, Szilagyi’s left knee was left with virtually no cartilage, producing painful arthritis and limiting his ability to run and work out.
A doctor advised Szilagyi that his only option was a total knee replacement, which would permanently end his athletic pursuits and limit his ability to hike and ski with his teenage children. But another told the Deerfield resident that a procedure to implant cartilage tissue from a cadaver into Szilagyi’s knee might allow him to maintain an active life.
“I think it’s hard to say anything out there might be the magic bullet, and I’m just hoping I can be as active as I can be,” said Szilagyi, who expects to have the surgery soon. “If I can, I’d like to remain relatively bionic parts-free.”
If he’s found suitable, Szilagyi will undergo what is known as an allograft meniscal transplant, which would transfer cartilage—the spongy white material that fills and cushions the joints between bones—into his left knee. The surgery would be performed by Dr. Brian Cole, team physician for the Chicago Bulls and one of the country’s foremost experts on cartilage transplant surgery.
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