New study reveals superior care for cartilage defects

A new study has found that transplanting a healthy cartilage to replace an area of damaged cartilage is more effective for repairing defects than the standard procedure.

The technique, called osteoarticular cartilage transplantation or OATS procedure, could ultimately prevent the onset of osteoarthritis and provide a reliable way for athletes to get back to sporting activities by proving a solution for the erosion of articular cartilage, the soft lining or cushion at the end of bones, which can lead to symptomatic osteoarthritis.

Riley J. Williams, III, M.D., a sports medicine orthopaedic surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City and senior investigator of the study said: "Studies have shown that there is only about a 40 per cent return to sport after the microfracture procedure which is the standard of care treatment in the US over 90 per cent of patients return to sport with the OATS procedure.”

The current standard of care for repairing cartilage is microfracture, however, there are several drawbacks to this procedure, and with such a low return rate for athletes, the market was certainly open for new techniques.

Published by Fiona Griffiths