We evaluated early results of patients undergoing mosaicplasty for full-thickness cartilage lesions of the knee.
The study included 24 patients (8 females, 16 males; mean age 39 years; range 17 to 52 years) with full-thickness cartilage lesions on the weight-bearing surface of the lateral (n=6) and medial (n=8) femoral condyles. Mosaicplasty was performed with open surgery. All grafts were harvested from the ipsilateral femoral condyle at the level of the sulcus terminalis and transplanted with the mosaicplasty technique to the defect area. The mean defect diameter was 13.5 mm (range 8 to 27 mm), and the mean number of grafts used was 1.5 (range 1 to 4). Final clinical assessments were made using the Lysholm and ICRS (International Cartilage Repair Society) scoring systems. Radiological evaluations were made according to the Kellgren-Lawrence criteria. Donor-site morbidity was evaluated according to the Bandi scoring system. The mean follow-up was 30.5 months (range 13 to 47 months).
The mean pre- and postoperative Lysholm knee scores were 46 (range 28 to 64) and 86 (range 76 to 100), respectively. ICRS scores were grade I in 16 patients (66.7%), grade II in six patients (25%), and grade III in two patients (8.3%). Five patients (20.8%) had slight donor-site disturbance which regressed within six months to a level that did not restrict daily physical activities. All the patients returned to preinjury activity levels. Postoperative magnetic resonance imaging showed no signs of graft loosening or collapse. According to the Kellgren-Lawrence criteria, 20 patients (83.3%) were free from any signs of osteoarthritis, whereas four patients (16.7%) exhibited early osteoarthritic changes.
Mosaicplasty is a reliable procedure in the treatment of full-thickness chondral lesions because it is minimally invasive, can be performed at a single session, and has a low complication rate and low cost.