SURGICAL TREATMENT OF OSTEOCHONDRAL LESIONS OF THE KNEE BY MEANS OF MOSAICPLASTY

ABSTRACTObjective: To evaluate the functional results from the technique of mosaicplasty, in the knees of patients with osteochondral lesions. Methods: Between August 1999 and March 2005, 27 patients underwent mosaicplasty on their knees. Twenty-one were male and six were female. The patients' ages ranged from 16 to 64 years (mean of 38.1 years). Seventeen lesions were located on the right knee and ten on the left knee. The lesion was located on the lateral femoral condyle in four patients (15%), on the medial femoral condyle in 18 patients (66.5%) and on the patella in five patients (18.5%). The lesion sizes ranged from 1 to 8 cm2 (mean of 2.7 cm2). The patients were evaluated before and after the operation using Lysholm's functional scale, with a mean follow-up of 2.5 years. Results: Before the operation, the mean was 62.7 points, and after the operation, the mean was 95.4 points. The patients who underwent mosaicplasty on the lateral femoral condyle presented a mean of 51.5 points before the operation, and a mean of 100 points after the operation. In relation to the medial femoral condyle, the mean before the operation was 64.1 points, and it was 95.4 points after the operation. In relation to the patella, the mean before the operation was 66.4 points, and it was 92 points after the operation. Conclusion: Mosaicplasty proved to be a good alternative for treating osteochondral lesions of the knee. It presented better evolution in relation to lesions of the femoral condyles than in relation to lesions located on the patella.