Knee Joint Cartilage Defects: Small Cartilage Defect Replacement Animation

Knee Joint Cartilage Defects: Small Cartilage Defect Replacement Animation

This animation demonstrates an osteochondral autograft transplantation, or OATS procedure, which is used to treat a small cartilage defect in the knee. In this procedure, a cartilage and bone graft, called a plug, is taken from a healthy, non-weight-bearing area of the knee and transferred into the damaged area.

Here, we see a right knee with the inner side of the knee on the right side of the screen. The knee is bent to expose the surfaces at the end of the femur, or thigh bone, where a small cartilage defect is identified on the inner portion of the femur.

A sizing instrument is first used to measure the cartilage defect. A graft-harvesting instrument of the same size is then positioned over a healthy, non-weight-bearing area of the knee. The instrument is tapped into the cartilage and underlying bone to remove a matching cartilage graft.

Next, a drill pin is placed into the cartilage defect, and a reamer is used to remove a round section of damaged cartilage and bone. This creates a socket that allows the cartilage graft to fit precisely into the defect.

The graft is shaped as needed and positioned within a clear tube. The tube is placed over the prepared socket, and the graft is gently inserted and tapped into place until it sits flush with the surrounding cartilage surface.

The area where the graft was harvested can be filled with a donor plug from a cadaver if needed. Once the graft is secured and properly aligned, the procedure is complete.