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Is MACI Knee Surgery Worth It?MACI harvests, cultures, and implants the patient's own cartilage cells across two surgeries weeks apart. It delays knee replacement—7.4% progression over a decade—but requires 12–18 months of recovery and works best for younger patients with focal defects of 3 cm² or more.MACI harvests, cultures, and implants the patient's own cartilage cells across two surgeries weeks apart. It delays knee replacement—7.4% progression over a decade—but requires 12–18 months of recovery and works best for younger patients with focal defects of 3 cm² or more.
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MACI vs Microfracture for Knee Cartilage RepairFor focal knee cartilage defects above 3 cm², MACI outperformed microfracture across all clinical measures: pain scores improved to 82.5 versus 70.9 at two years, with durability sustained at five-year follow-up.For focal knee cartilage defects above 3 cm², MACI outperformed microfracture across all clinical measures: pain scores improved to 82.5 versus 70.9 at two years, with durability sustained at five-year follow-up.
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When OATS mosaicplasty beats other ankle cartilage repairsLesions exceeding 150 mm² require OATS mosaicplasty: marrow stimulation produces fibrocartilage that breaks down within two to three years, whilst transplanted hyaline cartilage lasts decades.Lesions exceeding 150 mm² require OATS mosaicplasty: marrow stimulation produces fibrocartilage that breaks down within two to three years, whilst transplanted hyaline cartilage lasts decades.
