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Surgical Management of Osteochondral Defects of the Knee: An Educational Review

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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Numerous surgical techniques are available to treat osteochondral defects of the knee. The aim of this review is to analyse these procedures, including their methodology, outcomes and limitations, to create a treatment algorithm for optimal management.

Recent Findings

Osteochondral defects of the knee significantly alter the biomechanics of the joint. This can cause symptomatic and functional impairment as well as considerable risk of progressive joint degeneration. Surgical interventions aim to restore a congruent, durable joint surface providing symptomatic relief and reducing the risk of early arthritic changes. These methods include fixation, chondroplasty, microfracture, autologous matrix-induced chondrogenesis, autograft transplants, allograft transplants and autologous chondrocyte implantation. There is currently much debate as to which of these methods provides optimal treatment of osteochondral defects.

Summary

The overall evidence supports the use of each technique depending on the individual characteristics of the lesion. New technologies provide exciting prospects; however, long-term outcomes for these are not yet available.

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Funding

The authors did not receive support from any organisation for the submitted work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Trauma and Orthopaedics, The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, 1345 Govan Rd, Glasgow, Scotland

    Matthew Howell

  2. Department of Trauma and Orthopaedics, University Hospital Wishaw, 50 Netherton St, Wishaw, Scotland

    Quintin Liao & Christopher W. Gee

  3. Department of Arthroplasty and Soft Tissue Knee Surgery, Golden Jubilee National Hospital, Agamemnon St, Clydebank, Scotland

    Christopher W. Gee

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  1. Matthew Howell
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Contributions

M.H. and C.G. contributed to the study conception and design. Data collection and analysis were performed by M.H. and C.G. The first draft of the manuscript was written and edited by M.H. and Q.L. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Quintin Liao.

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Howell, M., Liao, Q. & Gee, C.W. Surgical Management of Osteochondral Defects of the Knee: An Educational Review. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med 14, 60–66 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12178-020-09685-1

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