[Treatment of focal articular cartilage lesions of the knee with autogenous osteochondral grafts].

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

A chondral/osteochondral defect involving the articular surface of a joint is still a therapeutic problem. Many surgical techniques have been studied in an attempt to restore the damaged articular cartilage. Autogenous osteochondral graft has gained in clinical popularity because of its technical feasibility and cost effectiveness, however, only a few series have been reported in the literature.

MATERIAL

A retrospective study included 14 patients with 14 knees with focal full thickness articular cartilage defects hospitalised in our department between January 1997 and June 2000. The diagnoses included six knees with osteonecrosis, five knees with osteochondritis dissecans and three knees with traumatic cartilage defect.

METHODS

All these patients underwent an osteochondral autografts of the knee with 2 years follow-up. The evaluations were based on functional assessments, which included pain, giving way, locking, recurrent effusion, knee scores, functional scores and Lysholm scores. The postoperative values of functional assessments among the three categories of diagnosis were compared statistically using Kruskal-Wallis test. Radiographs of the knees were examined for joint congruence, joint space narrowing and degenerative changes.

RESULTS

The study showed good or excellent clinical results in over than 85%. The duration of pain of the knees relief ranged from six to 16 weeks after surgery.

DISCUSSION

There was no correlation of the clinical results with the underlying diagnosis, including osteonecrosis, osteochondritis dissecans and traumatic cartilage defect. Improvement in symptoms appeared time-dependent, ranging from 6 to 16 weeks, suggesting that postoperative protection of the graft is warranted. There was no radiographic progression of degenerative changes of the knee on the medium-term follow-up.

CONCLUSION

There was no correlation of the clinical results with the underlying diagnoses. It appears that an osteochondral graft has the potential to prevent or delay the development of degenerative changes of the knee in the medium-term follow-up. Autogenous osteochondral graft is considered as a good method in the treatment of knees with moderately sized articular cartilage defects.