The recognised starting point
ACi and MACi
The established search terms for cell-based cartilage regeneration. Professor Lee uses them as the familiar reference point when explaining the newer non-surgical and surgical pathways.
International patients · Germany
Cartilage and joint preservation in London, for patients from Germany
German patients travel to London Cartilage Clinic for the depth of cartilage and joint-preservation expertise, a short flight from Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin or Dusseldorf.
Read the International Patient Guide
Reviewed byProfessor Paul Lee MBBch, FRCS (Tr & Orth), PhDCartilage and joint preservation expertiseWhy London Cartilage Clinic
Why patients from Germany choose London Cartilage Clinic
Germany is London Cartilage Clinic’s largest nearby market. Patients with private (PKV) cover, and self-pay patients, travel for the depth of cartilage and joint-preservation expertise and the volume of experience Professor Paul Lee brings.
The emphasis is on preserving the joint. Where you have been offered a replacement, an assessment of whether a cartilage repair or regeneration option is suitable comes first, strongest at the knee, with hip and other joints scoped honestly.
Searching for “Knorpel Spezialist London”?That is us, cartilage specialist in London.
Why patients travel for treatment
Start with ACi or MACi. Then see what is now possible.
Patients from Germany often arrive searching for ACi or MACi because those are the best-known cartilage cell treatments. They remain important. The assessment also shows where NanoACi, the wider Nano family, the Structure-led STACi pathway, ChondroFiller or Mytocel MSK may fit more precisely.
Non-surgical RegenRepair™
The Nano family
NanoACi for cartilage, NanoAMi for meniscus, NanoATi for tendon and NanoALi for ligament adapt Seed, Soil and Signal to the tissue being treated.
Surgical RegenRepair™
STACi adds Structure
When alignment, stability or the damage pattern needs surgery, STACi addresses Structure before adding the Seed, Soil and Signal cartilage-regeneration biology.
Standalone or within a pathway
Mytocel MSK and ChondroFiller
Mytocel MSK provides living autologous micrografts; ChondroFiller provides a collagen scaffold. Each has a standalone role and both sit within Professor Lee’s wider regenerative toolkit.
Been told replacement is your only option?
Told a knee or hip replacement is your only option in Germany?
A recommendation for replacement is often a default position rather than the only path. Regulated cartilage-regeneration procedures carry defined age and size limits that vary by country, so patients who fall outside them are sometimes told replacement is all that remains.
For suitable patients, joint-preserving cartilage repair and regeneration may be an alternative, depending on a full assessment of your imaging, the size and location of the damage and your goals. It is about options, never about being faster.
Every alternative-to-replacement statement is a clinical judgement made only after a full assessment. Suitability depends on your individual case.
Most relevant treatments
Treatments most relevant to patients from Germany
ACi and MACi
The better-known cell-based cartilage regeneration procedures, kept as a clear starting point and assessed alongside NanoACi and the Structure-led STACi pathway.
Find out more
RegenRepair™ and the Nano family
Professor Lee’s Seed, Soil, Signal framework, adapted into NanoACi for cartilage, NanoAMi for meniscus, NanoATi for tendon and NanoALi for ligament.
Find out more
NanoACi
A non-arthroscopic cartilage-regeneration pathway combining autologous micrografts, a collagen scaffold and platelet-rich fibrin in one image-guided session.
Find out more
STACi
Professor Lee’s surgical RegenRepair™ pathway: Structure first, then Seed, Soil and Signal for cartilage damage that needs mechanical correction or stabilisation as well as regeneration.
Find out more
ChondroFiller
Collagen cartilage regeneration delivered by injection, made by Meidrix Biomedicals GmbH. The clinic was the first in the UK to offer it as an injection.
Find out more
Mytocel MSK
A single-session regenerative injection using living autologous micrografts prepared chair-side from a small sample of the patient’s own tissue.
Find out moreGetting here
Getting here from Germany
Germany’s major hubs are roughly one and a half to two hours from London by air, so a focused visit is easy to plan.
From German hubs
Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin and Dusseldorf are about one and a half to two hours to London by air, with frequent daily flights.
Virtual first
A discovery call and virtual consultation with Professor Lee can happen before you travel, with imaging reviewed in advance.
English throughout
The clinic operates in English. German patients tell us the pathway is straightforward to follow.
Visiting us
How to find us
Consultations
66 Harley Street
London W1G 7HD
United Kingdom
Surgery
A partner hospital on Weymouth Street, a few minutes from Harley Street. Imaging is arranged for you as part of your pathway.
Getting here
Central London, a short walk from Regent’s Park, Oxford Circus and Bond Street underground stations.
Costs and insurance
Costs and insurance for patients from Germany
euros (EUR)GKV or PKV, with PKV and self-pay via pay-and-claim-back
Treatment at London Cartilage Clinic is direct pay, quoted in pounds sterling. Your bank handles the conversion from euros.
Private (PKV) cover for overseas treatment varies by policy and is not guaranteed; statutory (GKV) cover for private treatment abroad is limited. Where any cover applies it is pay-and-claim-back, using an itemised invoice. Confirm the specifics with your insurer before travelling.
Authority
The surgeon you are choosing
International patients are usually choosing between a small number of world specialists, so the surgeon matters more than any single treatment. Your consultation, your treatment and your follow-up are all with Professor Paul Lee.
- Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon and medical engineer, PhD
- Internationally published in cartilage repair and joint preservation, cited over 1,000 times
- Lead of an ICRS teaching centre for cartilage regeneration
- Joint-replacement outcomes recorded in the National Joint Registry, within the expected range
- Member of the British Association for Surgery of the Knee (BASK)
International patients · Germany
Frequently asked questions
How long is the trip from Germany?
Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin and Dusseldorf are about one and a half to two hours from London by air. Many patients complete the first consultation virtually and travel only when there is a clear plan.
I have private (PKV) cover. How does payment work?
Treatment is direct pay. With private cover, treatment abroad is usually pay-and-claim-back: you settle with the clinic and claim using an itemised invoice. Check what your policy covers before travelling.
Can follow-up happen back in Germany?
Early reviews are in London and later follow-up and rehabilitation are coordinated closer to home, with Professor Lee available for remote review.
Start your journey from Germany
Wherever you are travelling from, the first step is the same. Talk it through on a discovery call, or have a virtual consultation with Professor Lee before you plan any travel.