Early determinants of long-term clinical outcome after cartilage repair surgery in the knee.

Purpose: To identify early determinants of clinical outcome after knee cartilage repair.

Methods: 205 patients were evaluated before surgery and at median 14-years follow-up.

Results: Baseline factors predicting a good outcome were: single lesion; normal appearing cartilage surrounding the lesion; high baseline Lysholm score; short duration of symptoms; non-involvement of the patella-femoral joint; young age; and small defect. Factors predicting a poor outcome were: multiple lesions; low baseline Lysholm score; degenerative cartilage surrounding the lesion; long symptom duration; meniscal lesion; and large defect.

Conclusions: The choice of surgical method seem to be less important than other patients-specific predictors.

Level of evidence: Case series, Level IV.