One-step repair of OLTs had good clinical results that were durable over time, even though there was a slight decrease in AOFAS score at the latest follow-up. The quality of the regenerated tissue detected by MRI T2 mapping directly correlated with the clinical results.

To date, ACI and BMDCT showed to be effective regenerative techniques for the treatment of OLT. BMDCT could be preferred over ACI for the single step procedure, patients' discomfort and lower costs.

IV, retrospective case series.

No abstract

Purpose Bipolar fresh osteochondral allografts (BFOA) recently became a fascinating option for articular cartilage replacement, in particular in those young patients nonsuitable for traditional replacement because of age. While the use of osteochondral allografts for the treatment of focal osteochondral lesions in the knee is well established, their use in the treatment of end-stage arthritis is far more controversial. The purpose of this paper is to describe our experience in a series of seven patients who underwent a resurfacing of both tibio-femoral and patello-femoral joints by BFOA. Methods From 2005 to 2007, seven patients (mean age 35.2 ± 6.3 years) underwent BFOA for end-stage arthritis of the knee. Patients were evaluated clinically, radiographically and by CT scan preoperatively and at established intervals up to the final follow-up.Results No intra-operative complications occurred. Nevertheless, joint laxity and aseptic effusion, along with a progressive chondrolysis, lead to early BFOA failure in six patients, which were revised by total knee arthroplasty at 19.5 ± 3.9 months follow-up. Only one patient, who received the allograft to convert a knee arthrodesis, gained a satisfactory result at the last follow-up control. Conclusions BFOA in the knee joint still remains an inapplicable option in the treatment of post-traumatic endstage arthritis of the young patient, due to the high rate of failure. Further studies are necessary in order to investigate the causes of failure and improve the applicability of this method. Still, after extensive counselling with the patient, BFOA may represent a salvage procedure aimed to revise scarcely tolerated knee arthrodesis. Level of evidence Retrospective case series, Level IV.