Strategies for patient profiling in articular cartilage repair of the knee: a prospective cohort of patients treated by one experienced cartilage surgeon

Purpose The purpose of this study was to report on the clinical outcome of a large heterogenic cartilage repair population treated with the profiling strategies of one experienced cartilage surgeon to provide evidence based tools for treatment selection in a clinical environment. Methods A total of 216 patients were identified in this prospective single-surgeon study. For the primary and secondary treatment of smaller defects, microfracture (MF) was used. Hyalograft C was used for first and second line larger defects, while carbon-fiber rod and pad implantations were used as a salvage procedure. Results Three years after the initial procedure, the clinical improvement was excellent for MF and Hyalograft C ( P