International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) Focus Meeting - Allografts 2016

International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) Focus Meeting - Allografts 2016 is organized by International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) and would be held during Jan 29 - 30, 2016 at Hilton Brussels Grand Place - Brussels, Brussel, Belgium.

The use of allograft tissue in Orthopaedic surgery has a long history spanning over 20 years. Currently, more than 1 million units of allograft tissue are used in the US per year, the majority in the form of bone grafts for procedures such as spinal fusion, fracture fixation and osteotomy. Approximately half of all ACL reconstructions in the US are performed with the use of allografts, including tibialis, achilles and patellar tendons. Lastly, but of critical interest to our society, fresh osteochondral and fresh frozen meniscal allografts are used to reconstruct articular damage in more than 4000 patients per year. Whereas allograft tissue is readily available in the US, access remains limited in many parts of the world.

The use of allograft tissue decreases donor site morbidity, and allows the management of conditions that otherwise have no treatment alternatives, such as the completely meniscectomized knee. While not without limitations, allografts have improved the lives of countless patients worldwide. Its use, however, remains limited by supply, and political and regulatory issues. The ICRS hereby announces a meeting dedicated to finding solutions to these very limitations. It will bring together leaders from regulatory agencies, industry and physicians to create a forum for the exchange of ideas, discuss regulatory hurdles, and strategies to educate the public and health care providers about this exciting initiative.