Clinical Outcomes of an All-Arthroscopic Technique for Single-Stage Autologous Matrix-Induced Chondrogenesis in the Treatment of Articular Cartilage Lesions of the Knee

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical efficacy of an all-arthroscopic approach to autologous matrix-induced chondrogenesis (AMIC) for patients with articular cartilage lesions of the knee joint. We hypothesize that an all-arthroscopic, single-stage AMIC using a hyaluron-based cell-free scaffold improves the postoperative clinical scores for patients with isolated articular cartilage lesions of the knee in the early follow-up period. METHODS: All patients with focal osteochondral lesions of the knee treated with AMIC at our institution from November 2013 to January 2018 were included for analysis. Demographic information, baseline clinical characteristics, perioperative imaging, and follow-up International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) scores at 6 and 24 months postoperatively were collected. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with a Bonferroni correction was used to assess for improvement before and after surgery, with statistical significance defined as p < .05. RESULTS: A total of 22 patients met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed for this study. Articular cartilage lesions were most commonly found at the center of the medial and lateral femoral condyles. Statistically significant improvements in IKDC scores were seen at the 6- and 24-month follow-up periods (p < .05). CONCLUSION: An all-arthroscopic technique for single-stage autologous matrix-induced chondrogenesis demonstrates significant early clinical improvement for the treatment of articular cartilage lesions of the knee. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4