Robin Fuchs, MD
Modern day advances in cartilage surgery now allow for restoration of cartilage which leads to improved function and quality of life. Cartilage provides a smooth, white, glistening layer that covers the end of the bones in a joint. The main function of cartilage is to provide shock-absorbing properties that allow for a smooth, frictionless gliding surface.
Multiple surgical options exist for cartilage injury including debridement (cleanup), microfracture, and cartilage transplant. The body is unable to grow new cartilage therefore the only way to truly fill a cartilage defect with “normal” cartilage is through a cartilage transplant procedure.
Cartilage transplant can be performed through a minimally invasive arthroscopic technique. Cylinder cartilage plugs are harvested from an area where the cartilage is not needed and transplanted to the cartilage defect. One, or sometimes multiple plugs are transplanted to completely fill a cartilage defect. Large cartilage defects can be treated with allograft (cadaver) plugs.
The advantage of a cartilage transplant procedure is that it fills the defect with “normal” cartilage, restoring the smooth, frictionless gliding surface of the joint. This procedure has allowed many patients to return to a pain free active lifestyle.
