Clinical Efficacy of the Microfracture Technique for Articular Cartilage Repair in the Knee

Despite the popularity of microfracture as a first-line treatment for articular cartilage defects in the knee, systematic information on its clinical efficacy for articular cartilage repair and long-term improvement of knee function is not available. HYPOTHESIS: Systematic analysis of the existing clinical literature of microfracture in the knee can improve the understanding of the advantages and limitations of this cartilage repair technique and can help to optimize its indications and clinical outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review.

A comprehensive literature search was performed using established search engines (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) to identify original human studies of articular cartilage repair with microfracture. Modified Coleman Methodology Scores were used to analyze the quality of the existing studies. Clinical efficacy of articular cartilage repair was evaluated by systematic analysis of short- and long-term functional outcome scores, macroscopic and microscopic repair cartilage quality, and findings of postoperative magnetic resonance imaging.