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PD Dr. med. Christian Egloff

Department of Biomedical Engineering
Profiles & Affiliations

Surgeon investigator with special interest in knee biomechanics cartilage biology

My special interest lies in the knee as a organ. The unique mechanics together with its ability to move the human being foward is fascinating. My goal is to help my patients bringing them back to their daily and sports activities, through the combition of scientific research, clincial work and education of students and young doctors

Selected Publications

Feucht M.J., Dickschas J., Egloff C., Harrer J., Imhoff F., Lutter C., Schuster P., Starke C., & Tischer T. (2023). ESSKA consensus on osteotomies around the knee joint for varus osteoarthritis. Arthroskopie, 36, 56–57. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00142-022-00584-w

URLs
URLs

Egloff C, Hirschmann MT, Moret C, Henle P, Ellenrieder M, & Tischer T. (2021). [Total knee arthroplasty in the young patient-an update]. Der Orthopade, 50(5), 395–401. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00132-021-04104-w

URLs
URLs

Egloff, C, Sawatsky, A, Leonard, T, Hart DA, Valderrabano V, & Herzog, W. (2014). Effect of muscle weakness and joint inflammation on the onset and progression of osteoarthritis in the rabbit knee. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 22(11), 1886–1893. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2014.07.026

URLs
URLs

Selected Projects & Collaborations

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Klinische und funktionelle Resultate 2 Jahre nach VKB Naht mit Internal Brace Augmentation im Vergleich zur VKB Rekonstruktion unter Berücksichtigung sozioökonomischer Aspekte und Rückkehr zur Arbeitsfähigkeit

Research Project  | 4 Project Members

Der Stellenwert des Erhaltes des vorderen Kreuzbandes nach VKB Ruptur wird kontrovers diskutiert - insbesondere spielt dabei das Internal Bracing, also die Ligament Augmentation zusätzlich zur Naht, eine zentrale Rolle. In unserer Klinik haben wir mittlerweile über 60 Patienten mit dieser Technik operiert mit sehr guten klinischen Resultaten. Allerdings bleibt die Literatur bis dato objektive funktionelle und biomechanische Resultate dieses Verfahrens schuldig, die jedoch auch prognostisch, v.a. im Hinblick auf die Entstehung einer sekundären Kniegelenksarthrose, höchst relevant sind. Basierend auf den sehr erfreulichen klinischen Resultaten ist das Ziel der vorliegenden Studie daher, erstmalig eine umfassende objektive und quantitative klinische und funktionelle Untersuchung bei Patienten nach VKB Naht in direktem Vergleich mit der Goldstandard Technik, der VKB Rekonstruktion, und einem Kniegesunden Kontrollkollektiv durchzuführen. Die hier durchgeführten Tests werden somit wichtige neue Erkenntnisse liefern über den Funktionszustand sowie die Mechanik der Kniegelenke nach Internal Bracing und ob diese Patienten im direkten Vergleich zur Rekonstruktion ein geringeres Muskelkraftdefizit und eine verbesserte Gangfunktion aufgrund der erhaltenen Anatomie des genähten VKBs aufweisen, die als protektive Faktoren der Arthroseentstehung anzusehen sind. Die Studie bildet somit die Grundlage für weitere Untersuchungen zur Optimierung der Behandlung künftiger Patienten (inklusive einer optimierten Patientenselektion) und wird wichtige Erkenntnisse für die Optimierung der Rehabilitation nach primärer VKB Naht sowie nach Rekonstruktion liefern mit Relevanz im Kontext der Gonarthrose.

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Dose-response relationship of in vivo ambulatory load and cartilage biomarkers: the role of age, tissue health and inflammation

Research Project  | 4 Project Members

Articular cartilage is an avascular and aneural tissue that facilitates joint motion with minimal friction. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a joint disease that affects the whole joint resulting in severe articular cartilage degeneration with a prevalence worldwide of more than 10%. Although the molecular mechanisms that trigger the pathological changes in OA are largely unknown, the ability of chondrocytes to respond to load is believed to play a critical role in maintaining healthy tissue and in the initiation of OA. Different modes of ambulation have resulted in increases of specific blood markers, and immobilization during bed-rest lead to reductions in the same blood markers. However, the dose-response relationship between ambulatory load and mechanosensitive blood markers, its biological variation in healthy persons and in patients with a high risk of developing OA (e.g. with increasing age or after joint injury), and its relevance for cartilage degeneration are unknown. Based on reported differences in the magnitude of load-induced changes in blood markers of articular cartilage depending on the type of physical activity, we have previously tested an experimental framework of a systematic and controlled modulation of weight bearing during a walking stress test that we propose to employ in this study. We will address the following specific aims: Specific Aim 1: Investigate the in vivo dose-response relationship between ambulatory load and mechanosensitive blood markers of articular cartilage using controlled weight bearing during a walking stress test and age, tissue status and the presence of inflammation as experimental paradigms. Specific Aim 2: Investigate the prognostic ability of the individual in vivo dose-response relationship between ambulatory load and mechanosensitive blood markers of articular cartilage for articular cartilage degeneration. Healthy subjects and subjects with previous anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury aged 20 to 50 years will be clinically assessed, undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of both knees, and complete questionnaires on physical function and physical activity. Participants will wear an activity monitor for the 7 days before and during the experiment to record their physical activity level. Each participant will complete three walking stress tests (30 minutes walking) on separate days with repeated blood sampling to assess load-induced changes in levels of mechanosensitive blood markers (COMP, MMP-3, PRG-4, ADAMTS-4). In each test, one of three different ambulatory loads will be applied (80, 100 and 120% body weight (BW)). Inflammation will be assessed as IL-6 serum concentration. Tissue status of articular knee cartilage will be assessed as MRI T2 relaxation time and cartilage thickness at baseline and at 24-month follow-up. This study can be considered as proof-of-concept of a potential diagnostic test (walking stress test) for cartilage mechanosensitivity and will provide first evidence of the role of age, tissue status and presence of inflammation on the dose-response relationship between in vivo ambulatory load and mechanosensitive blood markers of articular cartilage and its relevance for prognosing cartilage degeneration. These results will allow to judge the importance of mechanosensitive blood markers for in vivo mechanobiology of articular cartilage. The results of this study will reveal if the proposed experimental framework may be suitable in the area of cartilage engineering and transplantation and for testing pharmacologic agents and load-modifying interventions aimed at changing tissue metabolism in the context of OA pathomechanics that can be further investigated in ex vivo, in situ and in animal models of OA.