Biologics & Regenerative Medicine
Dr. Raffo uses biologic therapies to support and accelerate healing after orthopedic procedures. These treatments harness the body's own repair mechanisms and advanced biomaterials to improve surgical outcomes.
Regeneten Bioinductive Implant
The Regeneten bioinductive implant is used to augment rotator cuff repairs. It promotes the growth of new tendon-like tissue over the repair site, adding a biological layer of reinforcement. Dr. Raffo uses this in select rotator cuff repairs where augmentation can improve healing rates and long-term durability.
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP)
PRP concentrates the patient's own platelets and growth factors to promote tissue healing. Dr. Raffo uses PRP injections for select tendon injuries, early-stage osteoarthritis, and as a post-surgical healing adjunct.
When Biologics Are Used
Not every patient needs biologics, and Dr. Raffo tailors each treatment plan to the individual. Biologics are most often used in conjunction with surgical repair — not as standalone treatments — to give the body the best chance of durable healing.
Ready to be seen?
Appointments are booked through Maryland Orthopedic Specialists, where Dr. Raffo practices.
Procedures
ACL Reconstruction
Dr. Raffo performs high-volume ACL reconstruction using quadriceps tendon or BPTB autograft, adding a lateral tenodesis in select high-risk knees.
Learn more kneeACL Reconstruction with BPTB (Patellar Tendon) Autograft
Bone-patellar tendon-bone autograft is Dr. Raffo's preferred choice for high-level contact athletes and revision ACL reconstruction.
Learn more kneeACL Reconstruction with Quadriceps Tendon Autograft
Quadriceps tendon autograft is Dr. Raffo's preferred default graft for primary ACL reconstruction in most active patients under 30.
Learn more shoulderArthroscopic Bankart Repair with Remplissage
Remplissage adds a posterior soft-tissue fill to arthroscopic Bankart repair for shoulders with an off-track Hill-Sachs lesion, cutting redislocation risk in a randomized trial without a significant loss of rotation.
Learn more shoulderArthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair
Dr. Raffo has performed over 2,000 arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs. This page covers who is a candidate, construct choice, and honest retear rates by tear size and age.
Learn more otherBiologic Augmentation During Surgery
How Dr. Raffo decides whether to add Regeneten, PRP, marrow venting, or BMAC at the time of rotator cuff or meniscal repair, and why he doesn't add one by default just because it's available.
Learn more otherBiologics in Orthopedic Practice
A surgeon's account of which biologic treatments hold up in trials, which he offers, which he declines to offer, and why the honest answer is narrower than the marketing around regenerative medicine.
Learn more kneeCartiHeal Agili-C Implant
Agili-C is a single-stage, off-the-shelf cartilage scaffold and the only FDA-approved cartilage implant labeled for use in knees with mild-to-moderate arthritis, though long-term data beyond 2 years remains limited.
Learn more kneeKnee Cartilage Restoration
The right cartilage procedure depends on lesion size, whether bone is involved, containment, alignment, age, and whether arthritis is already present — not on which implant is newest.
Learn more kneeLateral Extra-Articular Tenodesis (LET) with ACL Reconstruction
Dr. Raffo adds a lateral extra-articular tenodesis to ACL reconstruction in high-risk pivoting knees because it substantially cuts graft rupture and clinical failure, with an honest look at the unresolved OA question.
Learn more kneeMACI (Matrix-Induced Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation)
MACI is a two-stage cartilage repair that uses a patient's own cultured chondrocytes on a collagen membrane, best suited to larger, contained cartilage defects without significant bone loss.
Learn more kneeMeniscus Repair
Dr. Raffo prioritizes meniscus repair over meniscectomy whenever the tissue and tear pattern allow it, including ramp lesions found at ACL surgery.
Learn more shoulderMultidirectional Instability (MDI) Treatment
Multidirectional shoulder instability is treated with structured rehabilitation first. Dr. Raffo reserves arthroscopic capsular plication for patients who fail a genuine trial of physical therapy.
Learn more kneeOsteochondral Allograft Transplantation
Osteochondral allograft transplantation replaces cartilage and the bone beneath it as a single donor unit, used for large lesions, bone loss, and osteochondritis dissecans that cartilage-only techniques can't address.
Learn more shoulderPartial-Thickness Rotator Cuff Tear Treatment
Partial-thickness rotator cuff tears are treated differently depending on how much of the tendon is torn. Dr. Raffo explains the more-than-50%-thickness rule and when it applies.
Learn more otherPlatelet-Rich Plasma (PRP)
A surgeon's account of PRP: the conditions where trial evidence is genuinely strong, the negative trials that get left out of most marketing, and where he draws the line on offering it.
Learn more shoulderPosterior Shoulder Instability Repair
Posterior shoulder instability usually presents as deep, loading-related pain rather than a dislocation, which is why it is frequently missed. Arthroscopic posterior labral repair restores stability in most athletes.
Learn more kneeRevision ACL Reconstruction
Revision ACL reconstruction addresses a failed prior graft with tunnel management, graft choice, and near-routine use of a lateral tenodesis.
Learn more shoulderRevision Rotator Cuff Repair
A failed rotator cuff repair can often be revised. Dr. Raffo explains why first repairs fail, what changes the second time, and when revision is not the right answer.
Learn more kneeRobotic-Assisted Partial (Unicompartmental) Knee Replacement
Partial knee replacement preserves healthy bone and ligaments and comes with a faster recovery, but the honest registry data shows a real revision-rate tradeoff. Dr. Raffo explains how patient selection and surgeon volume change that picture.
Learn more kneeRobotic-Assisted Total Knee Replacement
Robotic assistance improves alignment accuracy in total knee replacement, but the honest evidence shows no meaningful difference in patient-reported outcomes or revision rates. Dr. Raffo explains why he still uses it.
Learn more shoulderRotator Cuff Repair with REGENETEN Bioinductive Implant
REGENETEN is a collagen implant used to augment rotator cuff repair or treat partial tears. It measurably reduces retear on imaging; whether it improves how patients feel is less clear.
Learn more shoulderShoulder Instability Surgery
Dr. Raffo treats anterior, posterior, and multidirectional shoulder instability, from first-time dislocation to revision surgery, tailoring the operation to direction, bone loss, and the demands of the shoulder.
Learn more