Treatment of Focal Cartilage Defects of the Knee: Classic and New Procedures

Symptomatic cartilage lesions are a complex problem that can negatively affect quality of life, especially in young patients. The treatment of cartilage defects is multifactorial and should be formulated on a patient-specific basis based on activity level, age, lesion size, and quality in addition to the potential economic burden of available treatments. Current surgical options consist of marrow-based techniques, chondrocyte-based techniques, osteochondral scaffolds, and mature hyaline cartilage. This chapter provides a clear and contemporary description of the current cartilage lesion strategies and proposes and algorithm to guide the decision-making process of the orthopaedic surgeon in determining a successful treatment plan based upon the current literature.