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Microfracture Doom to FailMicrofracture surgery, commonly used to repair damaged knee cartilage, is often questioned for its long-term success. This article explores why microfracture surgery fails and discusses alternatives for cartilage repair such as autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI), mosaicplasty, and mesenchymal stromal cells. The limitations of microfracture surgery include the body's struggle to…Microfracture surgery, commonly used to repair damaged knee cartilage, is often questioned for its long-term success. This article explores why microfracture surgery fails and discusses alternatives for cartilage repair such as autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI), mosaicplasty, and mesenchymal stromal cells. The limitations of microfracture surgery include the body's struggle to balance between durable healing and repeated injury, resulting in the breakdown of repair tissue over time. Additionally, the articular cartilage's limited capacity to heal leads to pain recurrence and post-traumatic arthritis. Long-term outcomes vary, with a risk of osteoarthritis progression in older patients. Alternatives like ACI and mosaicplasty show promise, although ACI has a high reoperation rate. Mesenchymal stromal cells are also being considered for enhancing cartilage repair.
