Aktueller Stand biologisch rekonstruktiver Verfahren an der Knorpeloberfläche - eine Übersicht

Several studies have shown that articular cartilage defects often occur in the knee, even in younger patients. There is also evidence that the risk of secondary osteoarthritis increases accordingly to the primary defect size. An attendant meniscus and/or ligament tear raises this hazard additionally. Furthermore chondrocytes of the knee have lower regenerative properties, compared to chondrocytes of the ankle. Among the large joints the knee is most frequently affected by osteoarthritis (OA). In order to avoid OA, symptomatic articular cartilage defects should undergo a biological reconstruction as early as possible. Additional meniscus or ligament tears or malalignements should be treated moreover. For the biological reconstruction of the articular cartilage surface certain different surgical procedures are available to date. The paper shows current techniques, their pros and cons and their mid-and long-term results in order to figure out their appropriate indications.