Osteochondral autografts transfer for post-traumatic osteochondral defect of the knee-2 to 5 years follow-up

The treatment of post-traumatic osteochondral defects of the weight-bearing surface of the knee in young active patients remains a significant challenge. We report the results of an osteochondral autograft transfer (OAT) in 18 patients (mean age 29 years) with post-traumatic focal osteochondral defects of the knee. Sixteen lesions were over the femoral condyle and two were over the tibial plateau. The average size of the lesion was 4.1 cm² (from 2.25 to 6 cm²), and the subchondral bone involved no more than 1 cm in depth. Osteochondral grafts were harvested from the non-weight-bearing area of the femoral condyle. Ten patients also had concomitant surgical procedures. The average follow-up was 42 months (from 24 to 64 months). All patients were evaluated by Lysholm and Tegner activity scores and plain radiographs. Nine patients had MRI, eight patients had second-look arthroscopy and two had a biopsy. Sixteen patients (89%) had good to excellent results, while two patients with lesion over the tibial surface had fair results. The biopsy revealed survival of hyaline cartilage. For small to medium osteochondral lesion over the femoral condyle of the knee in selected patients, osteochondral autografting yielded promising short to mid-term results.