Evidence
A bibliography, not a sales page: peer-reviewed publications, technique descriptions and materials-science studies on ChondroFiller® liquid, each with study design, joint, sample size, follow-up and a source link.
Scope of this page
This page lists the peer-reviewed publications, surgical technique descriptions and laboratory materials-science studies that describe or use ChondroFiller. Manufacturer documents are listed separately, in the panel at the end of this page.
Clinical studies
| Author, year | Design | Joint | n | Follow-up | Summary | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breil-Wirth A, 2016 | Retrospective case series | Knee, ankle | 44 | Not stated (retrospective; 37 of 44 patients followed up) | German-language retrospective case series of 44 patients treated with ChondroFiller for small knee and ankle cartilage defects. DOI not resolvable; not cited for claims. | View source |
| De Lucas Villarrubia JC, 2021 | Retrospective case series (Level IV) | Hip | 23 | Mean 29 months (range 24 to 48) | In a retrospective case series of hip patients with femoroacetabular impingement, ChondroFiller placed for grade IV acetabular chondral lesions showed favourable hip-score and MRI outcomes at around two years. | View DOI |
| Mazek J, 2021 | Prospective cohort | Hip | 26 | 12 to 60 months (21 of 26 patients had follow-up scores at final analysis) | In a prospective cohort of 26 hip arthroscopy patients with acetabular cartilage lesions, ChondroFiller implantation was followed by significant MRI healing change and good or excellent results in 17 of 21 patients assessed over 12 to 60 months. | View DOI |
| von Engelhardt LV, 2016 | Case report and literature review | Hip (femoral head and neck) | 1 | 8 months | Single case report of a professional athlete whose incidental grade IV femoral-head cartilage defect was filled with ChondroFiller during osteoid-osteoma excision surgery, with a return to elite competition within eight months. | View DOI |
| Jerosch J, 2020 | Prospective cohort | Knee, ankle | 64 | Mean 12 months, with data reported to 36 months | German-language prospective cohort of 64 knee and ankle patients treated with ChondroFiller, reporting improved knee and ankle function scores over 36 months. DOI not resolvable; not cited for claims. | View source |
| Schneider U, 2016 | Randomised controlled trial, multicentre (comparator arm not analysable) | Knee | 23 | 12 months | In a multicentre trial designed to compare ChondroFiller with microfracture, high drop-out in the microfracture arm meant the comparison could not be analysed, but knee function scores in the 13-patient ChondroFiller arm improved from three months and were sustained to 12 months, with all defects filled on MRI and no adverse events. | View DOI |
| Gatti SD, 2026 | Retrospective case series (Level IV) | Ankle (talus) | 21 | Mean 37.4 months (range 13 to 68) | In a retrospective case series of 21 patients with talar osteochondral lesions, arthroscopic collagen-induced chondrogenesis using ChondroFiller with fibrin glue significantly improved pain and function scores at a mean of three years, though the authors note frequent concomitant ligament repair. | View DOI |
| Akhtar M, 2024 | Systematic review of 27 studies; ChondroFiller gel reported in one included study | Hip | n/a | n/a | A systematic review of arthroscopic joint-preservation techniques for hip chondral lesions included one study reporting ChondroFiller gel alongside microfracture, autologous chondrocyte implantation and other scaffold techniques; the review is about hip cartilage-preservation techniques generally, not focused on ChondroFiller. | View DOI |
| Kiran Raju VS, 2025 | Case report | Hip (femoral head) | 1 | Short term (exact duration not reported) | Single case report of a femoral-head cartilage defect debrided and filled with ChondroFiller alone, with complete pain relief and a normal gait after surgery. | View DOI |
| Simeonov E, 2024 | Prospective clinical study | Knee | 17 | 12 months | In a single-centre prospective study of 17 knee arthroscopy patients, ChondroFiller implantation was followed by significant improvement in knee function scores from baseline to 12 months. | View DOI |
Study summaries
Retrospective case series · Knee, ankle · n = 44 · Follow-up: Not stated (retrospective; 37 of 44 patients followed up)
German-language retrospective case series of 44 patients treated with ChondroFiller for small knee and ankle cartilage defects. DOI not resolvable; not cited for claims.2
View sourceRetrospective case series (Level IV) · Hip · n = 23 · Follow-up: Mean 29 months (range 24 to 48)
In a retrospective case series of hip patients with femoroacetabular impingement, ChondroFiller placed for grade IV acetabular chondral lesions showed favourable hip-score and MRI outcomes at around two years.3
View DOIProspective cohort · Hip · n = 26 · Follow-up: 12 to 60 months (21 of 26 patients had follow-up scores at final analysis)
In a prospective cohort of 26 hip arthroscopy patients with acetabular cartilage lesions, ChondroFiller implantation was followed by significant MRI healing change and good or excellent results in 17 of 21 patients assessed over 12 to 60 months.4
View DOICase report and literature review · Hip (femoral head and neck) · n = 1 · Follow-up: 8 months
Single case report of a professional athlete whose incidental grade IV femoral-head cartilage defect was filled with ChondroFiller during osteoid-osteoma excision surgery, with a return to elite competition within eight months.5
View DOIProspective cohort · Knee, ankle · n = 64 · Follow-up: Mean 12 months, with data reported to 36 months
German-language prospective cohort of 64 knee and ankle patients treated with ChondroFiller, reporting improved knee and ankle function scores over 36 months. DOI not resolvable; not cited for claims.6
View sourceRandomised controlled trial, multicentre (comparator arm not analysable) · Knee · n = 23 · Follow-up: 12 months
In a multicentre trial designed to compare ChondroFiller with microfracture, high drop-out in the microfracture arm meant the comparison could not be analysed, but knee function scores in the 13-patient ChondroFiller arm improved from three months and were sustained to 12 months, with all defects filled on MRI and no adverse events.7
View DOIRetrospective case series (Level IV) · Ankle (talus) · n = 21 · Follow-up: Mean 37.4 months (range 13 to 68)
In a retrospective case series of 21 patients with talar osteochondral lesions, arthroscopic collagen-induced chondrogenesis using ChondroFiller with fibrin glue significantly improved pain and function scores at a mean of three years, though the authors note frequent concomitant ligament repair.8
View DOISystematic review of 27 studies; ChondroFiller gel reported in one included study · Hip
A systematic review of arthroscopic joint-preservation techniques for hip chondral lesions included one study reporting ChondroFiller gel alongside microfracture, autologous chondrocyte implantation and other scaffold techniques; the review is about hip cartilage-preservation techniques generally, not focused on ChondroFiller.9
View DOICase report · Hip (femoral head) · n = 1 · Follow-up: Short term (exact duration not reported)
Single case report of a femoral-head cartilage defect debrided and filled with ChondroFiller alone, with complete pain relief and a normal gait after surgery.10
View DOIProspective clinical study · Knee · n = 17 · Follow-up: 12 months
In a single-centre prospective study of 17 knee arthroscopy patients, ChondroFiller implantation was followed by significant improvement in knee function scores from baseline to 12 months.11
View DOIOutside stated indications
The manufacturer’s stated indications cover the knee, hip, shoulder, ankle and the small joints of the hand. The following study reports use in a joint outside that list.
Prospective clinical study · Wrist (distal radius) · n = 25 · Follow-up: Second-look arthroscopy subgroup, short term (exact duration not reported)
In 25 treated defects from 59 patients enrolled after distal radius fracture fixation, arthroscopic application of ChondroFiller was feasible and the treated subgroup showed favourable cartilage scores at second-look arthroscopy compared with matched controls. This is a wrist study; the manufacturer’s stated indications cover the knee, hip, shoulder, ankle and the small joints of the hand.1
View DOIInjection route
For the thumb-base joint, the manufacturer describes a single ultrasound-guided intra-articular injection, supported by the two Corain reports below. The ankle study is a conference e-poster, not peer reviewed, and injection into the ankle is not described by the manufacturer. The technique and its limits are set out on the technique page, under the injection tab.
Prospective single-centre non-randomised cohort, two groups by disease stage, no control group · Thumb (trapeziometacarpal joint) · n = 64 · Follow-up: 24 months
Sixty-four patients with thumb-base osteoarthritis (32 at Eaton-Littler stage I to II, 32 at stage III to IV) received a single ultrasound-guided intra-articular injection of ChondroFiller liquid. Pain, grip and pinch strength and DASH scores improved in both groups at 24 months (p < 0.001), and no adverse events were reported. The authors note the absence of a control group and of blinding.21
View DOISingle-centre cohort, two groups by disease stage, no control group; journal not indexed in PubMed; earlier report from the same programme as Corain 2025 · Thumb (trapeziometacarpal joint) · n = 43 · Follow-up: 6 months
Forty-three patients with thumb-base osteoarthritis received a single fluoroscopy-guided intra-articular injection of ChondroFiller liquid. The authors report improved pain and grip and pinch strength at six months. Superseded by the 24-month report of the same programme (Corain 2025).22
View sourceRetrospective single-centre cohort, no comparator; conference e-poster, not peer reviewed · Ankle (talus) · n = 30 · Follow-up: Minimum 12 months; MRI at a mean of 13.5 months in 22 ankles
Thirty ankles in 29 adults with an MRI-confirmed focal talar dome defect received an ultrasound-guided injection of ChondroFiller into the ankle joint, targeted to the defect, without arthroscopy. FAOS improved from 59.8 to 86.7 and activity pain from 6.7 to 2.1 (p < 0.001); 68% of follow-up MRIs showed complete or nearly complete defect fill.23
View sourceTechnique descriptions
The following describe an arthroscopic technique for implanting ChondroFiller; they do not report a patient outcome cohort.
Technique description (no outcome cohort) · Hip
Describes a needle-and-curette arthroscopic technique for implanting ChondroFiller into hip chondral defects; no patient outcomes are reported.12
View DOICase series and surgical technique description; case count and follow-up not independently verified from the full text · Ankle (talus)
Describes a surgical technique and case series for applying ChondroFiller to talar osteochondral lesions.13
View DOIMaterials-science studies
The following are laboratory materials-science studies. They characterise the mechanical or handling properties of ChondroFiller using in vitro, ex vivo or porcine models; they are not clinical outcome studies and are not efficacy evidence.
Materials study (ChondroFiller used as a test material; not efficacy evidence): in vitro bioreactor model · n/a (in vitro model)
In a laboratory bioreactor model, cyclic mechanical compression increased cell migration into a cell-free collagen type I implant compared with static culture.14
View DOIMaterials study (ChondroFiller used as a test material; not efficacy evidence): ex vivo human explant model · n/a (human femoral-condyle explants) · n = 61 · Follow-up: Cultured 7, 14 and 21 days
In a human osteochondral explant model, ChondroFiller showed higher cell content by day 14 than comparator treatment arms; this is a laboratory model, not a clinical outcome study.15
View DOIPreclinical biomechanical in-vitro study (porcine); not a clinical outcome study · n/a (porcine osteochondral cylinders) · n = 18 · Follow-up: 1 and 6 hour loading runs
In a laboratory friction-rig study using porcine cartilage, filling a defect with ChondroFiller did not reduce wear to the opposing native cartilage compared with an unfilled defect under early loading.16
View DOIMaterials study (ChondroFiller used as a test material; not efficacy evidence): in vitro materials characterisation · n/a
Laboratory materials-science study deriving mechanical model parameters for human cartilage and ChondroFiller; not a clinical study.17
View DOIMaterials study (ChondroFiller used as a test material; not efficacy evidence): in vitro materials characterisation · n/a
Companion laboratory materials-science study deriving mechanical model parameters for cartilage and ChondroFiller; not a clinical study.18
View DOIMaterials study (ChondroFiller used as a test material; not efficacy evidence): mechanical testing · n/a
Laboratory mechanical-testing study comparing ChondroFiller with native cartilage and other repair hydrogels; not a clinical study.19
View DOIMaterials study (ChondroFiller used as a test material; not efficacy evidence): in vitro materials benchmarking · n/a
Laboratory study benchmarking experimental synthetic hydrogels against ChondroFiller for swelling and stiffness; ChondroFiller is used only as a comparator material.20
View DOI
Surgical techniqueChondroFiller® liquid surgical technique
20 pages
The manufacturer’s 20-page guide: patient selection, positioning, fluid or CO2 arthroscopy, debridement, drying, thawing and warming, application, stabilisation and early post-operative care.
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RehabilitationRehabilitation and post treatment
6 pages
Phased load, mobilisation and activity tables for femoral, patellofemoral, talar and hip defects.
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BrochureChondroFiller® liquid overview brochure
3 pages
The manufacturer’s three-page product overview: composition, presentation, the four-step application sequence, pack sizes and order numbers.
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Patient informationChondroFiller® liquid patient information
3 pages
The manufacturer’s patient education leaflet: what the implant is, intended use, the procedure, follow-up and side effects.
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Manufacturer product pageChondroFiller® liquid product page
The manufacturer’s product page, including the stated indications and defect-size ceiling.
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BrochureChondroFiller® liquid: treatment for rhizarthrosis
2 pages
The manufacturer’s leaflet on ultrasound-guided intra-articular injection into the thumb-base joint for rhizarthrosis, with the published outcome data it cites.
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