Surgical Technique for Articular Cartilage Transplantation to Full- Thickness Cartilage Defects in the Knee Joint

Focal arthritic defects in the knee lead to pain, swelling, and dysfunction. Treatment of the defects has included drilling, abrasion, and grafting. This report describes our surgical technique of autogenous articular cartilage grafting of aLrthritic and traumatic articular cartilage lesions. Articular cartilage grafting can be performed as a single arthroscopic outpatient procedure. The mixture of articular cartilage and cancellous bone appears to provide a supportive matrix for cartilage formation. Pain relief is excellent if careful surgical technique and a defined rehabilitation program is followed. Further collagen typing data and additional biopsies will reveal more about the durability of the newly formed cartilage.