Allograft Cartilage Replacements.

The body's ability to repair injured articular cartilage is poor due to the inherent physiology of cartilage. Joint arthritis, whether through injury or increasing age, is a prevalent condition. Treatment of an articular cartilage injury may include arthroplasty, fusion, or repair. A popular pathway of treatment in a salvageable joint is often to avoid donor site morbidity and place increased effort to reestablish native cartilage with the use of allografts. This article discusses current research on acellular and cellular allografts for articular cartilage restoration.