AJSM Click here for details!
HOME HELP CONTACT US SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
First published on August 27, 2007, doi:10.1177/0363546507305455
This version was published on December 1, 2007
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
35/12/2014    most recent
0363546507305455v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Marcacci, M.
Right arrow Articles by Zaffagnini, S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Marcacci, M.
Right arrow Articles by Zaffagnini, S.
Related Collections
Right arrow Chondral/cartilage
Right arrow Knee
Right arrow Arthroscopy
The American Journal of Sports Medicine 35:2014-2021 (2007)
© 2007 American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine

Arthroscopic Autologous Osteochondral Grafting for Cartilage Defects of the Knee

Prospective Study Results at a Minimum 7-Year Follow-up

Maurilio Marcacci, MD, Elizaveta Kon, MD*, Marco Delcogliano, MD, Giuseppe Filardo, MD, Maurizio Busacca, MD and Stefano Zaffagnini, MD

From the Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute, Bologna, Italy

* Address correspondence to Elizaveta Kon, MD, Laboratorio di Biomeccanica, Istituti Ortopedici Rizzoli, Via Di Barbiano, 1/10, 40136, Bologna, Italy (e-mail: e.kon{at}biomec.ior.it).

Background: Articular cartilage lesions, with their inherent limited healing potential, remain a challenging problem for orthopaedic surgeons. Various approaches have been proposed to treat these lesions; nevertheless, opinions on indications and clinical efficacy of these techniques are still controversial.

Purpose: To evaluate the outcome of osteochondral autografts for treatment of femoral condyle cartilage lesions at a medium-to long-term follow-up.

Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods: We prospectively evaluated 30 patients (mean age, 29.3 years) with full-thickness knee chondral lesions (<2.5 cm2) treated with arthroscopic autologous osteochondral transplantation. Thirteen patients underwent previous surgery, while 17 patients were operated on for the first time. In 19 patients, associated procedures were performed. All patients were evaluated at 2- and 7-year follow-up. The International Cartilage Repair Society form, Tegner score, and magnetic resonance imaging were used for clinical evaluation.

Results: The International Cartilage Repair Society objective evaluation showed 76.7% of patients had good or excellent results at 7-year follow-up, and International Knee Documentation Committee subjective score significantly improved from preoperative (34.8) to 7-year follow-up (71.8). The Tegner evaluation showed a significant improvement after the surgery at 2- and 7-year follow-up (from 2.9 to 6.2 and 5.6, respectively); however, we noticed reduced sports activity from 2- to 7-year follow-up. Magnetic resonance imaging evaluation showed good integration of the graft in the host bone and complete maintenance of the grafted cartilage in more than 60% of cases.

Conclusion: The results of this technique at medium- to long-term follow-up are encouraging. This arthroscopic 1-step surgery appears to be a valid solution for treatment of small, grade III to IV cartilage defects.

Key Words: cartilage repair • osteochondral autografting • mosaicplasty • chondral defect • chondromalacia • knee • arthroscopy






HOME HELP CONTACT US SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2007 by the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine.