Surgical strategies for chondral defects of the patellofemoral joint: a systematic review

Abstract

Background The management of chondral defects of the patellofemoral joint is debated, and definitive evidence is lacking. This study systematically updated and summarised the current literature on the surgical management of isolated chondral defects of the patellofemoral joint, discussing techniques, outcome, pitfalls, and new frontiers. Methods This systematic review was conducted according to the 2020 PRISMA statement. In August 2022, PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Embase databases were accessed with no time constrain. All the clinical studies investigating the surgical management of chondral defects of the patellofemoral joint were retrieved. Articles which reported data on patients with advanced to severe osteoarthritis were not eligible. Only studies with a minimum 24 months follow-up were considered. Studies which mixed results of patellofemoral and tibiofemoral joints were not considered. Results Data from 10 studies (692 procedures) were retrieved. The mean follow-up was 46.9 ± 18.2 months. The mean age of the patients was 34.0 ± 6.1 years, and the mean BMI was 25.9 ± 0.8 kg/m2. The mean duration of symptoms before the index surgery was 81.0 ± 24.0 months. The mean defect size was 3.8 ± 0.8 cm2. All the PROMs improved from baseline to last follow-up: VAS 0–10 (P = 0.04), Tegner (P = 0.02), Lysholm (P = 0.03), and International Knee Documentation Committee (P = 0.03). The rate of hypertrophy was 5.6% (14 of 251), the rate of progression to total knee arthroplasty was 2.4% (2 of 83), the rate of revision was 16.9% (29 of 136), and the rate of failure was 13.0% (16 of 123). Conclusion Current surgical strategies may be effective to improve symptoms deriving from chondral defects of the patellofemoral joint. The limited and heterogeneous data included for analysis impact negatively the results of the present study. Further clinical studies are strongly required to define surgical indications and outcomes, and the most suitable technique.

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“…Despite the elevated probability of concurrent osteochondral damage in APD patients. Oftentimes, the management of OD proves highly ineffective due to diagnostic oversights, consequently culminating in secondary osteoarthritis of the PF joint 26 – 28 . As cartilage is not visible on X-ray, relying solely on X-ray assessments is inadequate for patients with APD.…”

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“…The success of patellofemoral treatment is associated with concomitant treatment of patellofemoral malalignment or instability. 32 Accordingly, concomitant patellar stabilization surgeries were performed in more than one-third of documented cases at the patella in the present analysis.…”

Microfracture- and Xeno-Matrix-Induced Chondrogenesis for Treatment of Focal Traumatic Cartilage Defects of the Knee: Age-Based Mid-Term Results

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