Individualized metal implants for focal cartilage lesions in the knee can be cost-effective: A simulation on 47-year-old in a Swedish setting.

Objectives: In the aging population, the knee is the joint most commonly causing impaired function and incapacity. While definite treatment by prosthetic replacement is often performed late, symptomatic knee cartilage lesions cause much suffering also in younger ages. Early intervention could, therefore, be instituted at an early stage to the benefit of both patients and society.

Patient-Specific Implants for Focal Cartilage Lesions in The Knee: Implant Survivorship Analysis up to Seven Years Post-Implantation.

In the quest for increased surgical precision and improved joint kinematics, Computer-Assisted Orthopedic Surgery (CAOS) shows promising results for both total and partial joint replacement. In the knee, computer-assisted joint design can now be applied to the treatment of younger patients suffering pain and restriction of activity due to focal defects in their femoral articular cartilage. By taking MRI scans of the affected knee and digitally segmenting these scans, we can identify and map focal defects in cartilage and bone.

Treatment of osteochondral defects: chondrointegration of metal implants improves after hydroxyapatite coating.

Purpose: The treatment of osteochondral defects in joint cartilage remains challenging due to its limited repair capacity. This study presents a metallic osteochondral plug with hydroxyapatite (HA)-coated cap edges for improved implant-tissue contact. The hypothesis was that improved attachment prevents from synovial fluid-influx and thereby avoids osteolysis and resulting implant instability.