title: Results of microfracture in the osteoarthritic knee with focal full-thickness articular cartilage defects and concomitant medial meniscal tears.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the efficacy of arthroscopic microfracture in patients with focal full-thickness cartilage defects in the osteoarthritic knee.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-six patients were enrolled in this study. They were divided into group I (n=38) who underwent microfracture plus meniscectomy and group II (n=38) who underwent only meniscectomy. Clinical and radiological evaluations were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the time of the three-year follow-up, a total of five failures (6.6%) were reported: four patients in group I and one in group II. The two groups showed no significant difference in the Lysholm score, the Tegner activity score and the visual analog pain scale score at three years after surgery. However, at the time of the three-month follow-up, group II showed significantly more improvement in the Tegner activity and the visual analog pain score compared with group I.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the osteoarthritic knee, additional microfracture did not confer any additional benefit to meniscectomy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jae Jeong
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Seung Joo
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Tae Jin
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Tae Hwan
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Chong Hyuk
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Choi
keywords: Cartilage; Knee; Microfracture; Osteoarthritis