Hello,
As far as I know Carticel is the same as ACI. I had this done last March and so far everything seems to be going ok. It is a long slow recovery as you have to wait for the new cells to grow. I have been told it could up to two years.
I am still getting quite a bit of pain and I am not yet back to full strength but I am slowly cutting down the painkillers. My old pain has gone and I only suffer if I do too much or twist the knee.
Are you in the UK? I think Carticel is an American term, my op was done in London. The success rate is pretty high. There are links to information about ACI/Carticel on the site.
Hope this helps
Joanna
