Carbon fiber scaffolds in the treatment of early knee osteoarthritis. A prospective 4-year followup of 37 patients.

A common treatment for deep cartilage lesions on the patella and on the femoral condyles in young and middle-aged patients is the placement of drill-holes down to the vascular subchondral bone to stimulate fibrocartilage ingrowth. The present prospective study describes experience with woven carbon fibers used as scaffolds in the drilled lesions to enhance ingrowth of a regenerative tissue. Surgery was performed on 37 patients with an average age of 39 years (range, 25-53 years) and an average followup of 48 months (range, 33-63 months). The results were assessed by 4 evaluation systems. Thirty (83%) of the 36 patients who could be observed were rated good or excellent. The most striking result was good pain relief. In conclusion, carbon fiber implants could be a promising alternative to other operative procedures for young and middle-aged patients with cartilage lesions.