How defect size determines OATS or OCAAutograft supply draws the line: defects below 2–4 cm² use OATS, harvesting bone and cartilage from the patient's own knee; larger lesions require OCA, using cadaveric tissue, because autograft volume runs out before expansive defects are adequately covered.Autograft supply draws the line: defects below 2–4 cm² use OATS, harvesting bone and cartilage from the patient's own knee; larger lesions require OCA, using cadaveric tissue, because autograft volume runs out before expansive defects are adequately covered.
Cartilage specialist or general orthopaedic surgeon for a knee defectKnee cartilage repair without correcting underlying malalignment results in reoperation in 47.4% of cases, versus 17.3% when alignment is corrected simultaneously — a surgical integration that general orthopaedic surgeons often omit from initial assessment and planning.Knee cartilage repair without correcting underlying malalignment results in reoperation in 47.4% of cases, versus 17.3% when alignment is corrected simultaneously — a surgical integration that general orthopaedic surgeons often omit from initial assessment and planning.
Who Qualifies for OATS Knee Cartilage RepairOATS and mosaicplasty repair focal knee cartilage defects of 1–4 cm² with hyaline cartilage in a single operation; suitable for physically active patients aged 16–50, both achieve return to sport in 66–91% of cases.OATS and mosaicplasty repair focal knee cartilage defects of 1–4 cm² with hyaline cartilage in a single operation; suitable for physically active patients aged 16–50, both achieve return to sport in 66–91% of cases.