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| Osteochondral Autograft |
| This technique is analogous to a hair-plug transfer. The surgeon removes a small cylindrical section of the patient’s own cartilage along with the underlying bone plug. This is obtained from an area which does not participate in high loading. |
| The typical site of harvest is at the margin of the femoral trochlea, where the patella glides; if that area is involved with damage then this technique may not be possible. The size of the defect treatable with this method is usually between one and two square centimeters, or slightly larger than a thumbnail |
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| This bone and cartilage (hence osteo—chondral) local graft is then transferred to the defect where a receiving hole has been prepared. Obviously, there is a limit to the amount of tissue available for “harvesting”. The advantage of this technique is the transfer of normal cartilage to the area of injury. The donor, nonweightbearing area will eventually heal with scar cartilage much like the micro-fracture technique. |
