Arthroscopic cartilage-bone grafting – OATS

Innovative treatments with arthroscopy at OZMO

If the cartilage in a joint is degeneratively altered and exhibits defects, arthroscopic cartilage-bone transplantation, also called autologous cartilage-bone transplantation – OATS for short, can be a helpful treatment in the form of minimally invasive surgery. With good success, patients treated with the method report in large part that they have no to little discomfort in the affected joint even about 10 years after the operation and can also be active again in sports.

Learn more about OATS treatment, when it is used, and what options modern cartilage-bone grafting therapy can offer you on our website. Make an appointment at the Orthopädie Zentrum München Ost (OZMO) with our specialized orthopedic and trauma surgeons, who can work for you with a high level of expertise and a great deal of experience.

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The specialists at the Orthopädie Zentrum München Ost will be happy to provide you with a medical consultation. Take advantage of our wealth of experience in the field of orthopedics and feel free to make an appointment with us!

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Table of Contents:

What is an arthroscopic cartilage-bone graft?

Procedure of arthroscopic cartilage-bone transplantation (OATS)

When is an OATS used as a treatment?

Advantages and disadvantages of treatment with the OATS
Treatment with arthroscopic cartilage-bone transplantation by our specialists

Appointment for cartilage damage at the Orthopaedic Center Munich East (OZMO)

What is an arthroscopic cartilage-bone graft?

Arthroscopic cartilage-bone grafting is a minimally invasive procedure that uses arthroscopy to repair cartilage in a joint. In this procedure, healthy cartilage tissue is punched out in a cylindrical shape at an unloaded site in order to insert it at a loaded site with a cartilage defect. As the edges heal, the grafted cartilage bonds with the surrounding tissue, improving load distribution. This can significantly reduce discomfort. In addition, a single procedure is sufficient to successfully perform both harvesting and transplantation.

Procedure of arthroscopic cartilage-bone transplantation (OATS)

In the preliminary examinations for minimally invasive surgery, it is first determined to what extent treatment with arthroscopic cartilage-bone grafting is promising. This also requires finding a healthy piece of cartilage in the patient’s body that can be removed without causing new discomfort. High-quality hyaline cartilage is harvested from healthy tissue. At the site of cartilage removal, new cartilage tissue, so-called fibrocartilage, forms during regeneration, which is only possible to a limited extent or at least not sufficiently at the cartilage defect itself. Fibrocartilage is less resilient than hyaline cartilage, so the tissue to be harvested should be from a joint that is not under too much stress. The cartilage must also come from the patient himself to rule out incompatibility reactions.

The circumscribed cartilage defect (red arrow) is punched out arthroscopically and filled with the intact cartilage cylinder. In the aftercare, therefore, not only the cartilage defect but also the donor site is treated with orthopedic treatments and therapies.

Article: Surgical therapy of circumscribed cartilage defects with autologous cartilage-bone grafting (PDF).

When is an OATS used as a treatment?

Arthroscopic cartilage-bone grafting can be used for smaller cartilage defects caused by injuries or degenerative diseases of the joints (e.g. osteoarthritis). Thus, OATS, together with microfracturing and cartilage cell transplantation, is one of the three possible treatments that can be used minimally invasively as arthroscopic surgery for the treatment of cartilage damage in the joint, provided that all options of conservative orthopedics have been exhausted.

The procedure is considered a proven treatment for small cartilage defects in the following joints:

Elbow
Knee
Ankle joint

Since Arthroscopic Cartilage-Bone Grafting treatment requires healthy cartilage tissue from the patient, the procedure can only be performed if a suitable joint with healthy cartilage is available to supply the patient’s own tissue.

Advantages and disadvantages of treatment with the OATS

Arthroscopic cartilage-bone grafting has the advantage that all treatment steps are already completed after one procedure. This also allows the regeneration phase for healing to be kept comparatively short. Thus, the joint can be loaded again after only a few weeks, provided that targeted physiotherapeutic treatment is supplemented. In addition, the treatment involves transplanting the body’s own cartilage, which results in strengthening the weakened joint with hyaline cartilage. Even at the knee, comprehensive stabilization of the joint can thus be achieved in many cases, which also makes sporting activities possible again.

On the other hand, OATS has a disadvantageous effect because previously healthy cartilage is weakened by the removal. Although a low-loaded joint is usually selected as the source of removal, this creates an additional treatment area, which, depending on the course of healing or complications that arise, may bring new complaints. In addition, it can happen in individual cases that the graft does not heal sufficiently or that irregularities occur in the cartilage structure in the area of the implanted piece of cartilage.

Treatment with arthroscopic cartilage-bone transplantation by our specialists

If Arthroscopic Cartilage-Bone Grafting is the appropriate treatment for you, one of our orthopedic specialists will be happy to assist you. Following a comprehensive medical history at the Orthopädie Zentrum München Ost (OZMO) and a thorough examination, if the treatment is suitable for your complaints, our specialist and expert in non-invasive treatments, Prof. Dr. med. habil. Peter Diehl, be the perfect contact and operator.

Prof. Dr. Diehl is our specialist for regenerative cartilage therapies in our team at the Specialist Orthopedic Center. With extensive experience as well as being the head physician for minimally invasive surgery at the Dr. Lubos Klink in Bogenhausen, he can assess the chances of success for the optimal and advise you on the best possible treatment with OATS or more suitable alternatives. Rely on our experts and their experience, gladly in the context of an individual examination for the preparation of a professional second opinion on diseases and injuries requiring orthopedic treatment.

Appointment for cartilage damage at the Orthopaedic Center Munich East (OZMO)

Need a consultation for degenerative joint disease or cartilage damage that can find relief with an OATS? Make your appointment today at the Orthopädie Zentrum München Ost (OZMO) for examinations and treatments of state-of-the-art orthopedics. Our team offers a high level of expertise and extensive experience for individual treatments and surgeries such as treatment with Arthroscopic Cartilage-Bone Grafting.

Mo – Th:	08:00 – 18:00
Fr:	08:00 – 12:00