Osteochondral Grafts for Articular Cartilage Repair in the Knee

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Autologous osteochondral transfer is the process of taking bone plugs from a place in the patient's own body with a healthy joint surface and using them to repair full-thickness defects of the articular cartilage. One of the most common problems that can be corrected through this procedure is osteochondrosis dessicans, but other indications can include acute trauma, lesions, and severe patellar luxation. Cartilage typically does not heal itself to a large extent, which makes surgical correction of these conditions necessary to ensure a patient's comfort and functional ability. Today, this particular procedure remains among the most common methods of cartilage repair in the knee.

This past summer, I saw this procedure performed several times at the veterinary hospital where I was interning, and though it has been refined a lot since this article was published, the technique remains basically the same. When I read the first SNBAL assignment about regenerating an articular surface by cell homing, I was struck by the similarities and thought that the potential of combining the two techniques was very exciting.

"Autologous Osteochondral Grafting in the Knee: Indication, Result, and Reflections"