title: Cartilage repair surgery for full-thickness defects of the knee in Germany: indications and epidemiological data from the German Cartilage Registry (KnorpelRegister DGOU).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Treatment of cartilage defects of the knee remains an important issue with high relevance. In October 2013 the German Cartilage Registry (KnorpelRegister DGOU) was initiated in order to study indications, epidemiology and (clinical) outcome of different cartilage repair techniques. The present evaluation of the registry baseline data was initiated to report common practices of cartilage repair surgery in Germany.
  
  
  METHODS
  1065 consecutive patients who underwent surgical cartilage treatment of the knee have been included (complete data sets available in 1027 cases; FU rate 96.4 %) between October 1, 2013 and June 30, 2015. Data collection was performed using a web-based RDE System. All data were provided by the attending physician at the time of arthroscopic or open surgery of the affected knee.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 1027 cartilage repair procedures, single defects were treated in 80 % of the cases with the majority of the defects located on the medial femoral condyle, followed by the patella. Degenerative defects grade III or IV according to ICRS were treated in 60 % of the cases and therefore were found more frequently compared to traumatic or post-traumatic lesions. Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) was the most common technique followed by bone marrow stimulation (BMS) and osteochondral transplantation (OCT). While ACI was performed in defects with a mean size of 4.11 cm(2) SD SD 2.16), BMS and OCT (1.51 cm(2), SD 1.19; p < 0.01) were applied in significantly smaller defects (both p < 0.01). Independent of defect size, the ratio of ACI versus BMS applications differed between different defect locations. ACI was used preferably in defects located on the patella.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present analysis of data from the German Cartilage Registry shows that the vast majority of cartilage repair procedures were applied in degenerative, non-traumatic cartilage defects. Experts in Germany seem to follow the national and international guidelines in terms that bone marrow stimulation is applied in smaller cartilage defects while cell-based therapies are used for the treatment of larger cartilage defects. In patellar cartilage defects a trend towards the use of cell-based therapies has been observed.
authors.affiliation: Department for Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology, Freiburg University Hospital, Hugstetter Str. 55, 79098, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. philipp.niemeyer@uniklinik-freiburg.de.|OCM Clinic Munich, Munich, Germany. philipp.niemeyer@uniklinik-freiburg.de.
authors.forename: Philipp
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Niemeyer
authors.affiliation: Department for Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology, Freiburg University Hospital, Hugstetter Str. 55, 79098, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Feucht
authors.affiliation: OCC Clinic Tübungen, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fritz
authors.affiliation: Kronprinzenklinik, Reutlingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Albrecht
authors.affiliation: Sporthoaedicum Regensburg, Straubing, Germany.
authors.forename: Gunter
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Spahn
authors.affiliation: Department for Traumatology, Regensburg University Hospital, Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Angele
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002356:Cartilage / Q000601:surgery / Q000637:transplantation; D002357:Cartilage Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000637:transplantation; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000601:surgery*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012042:Registries; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Autologous chondrocyte; Cartilage defect; Cartilage surgery; Cell therapie; Knee surgery