SynthesisKnee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA2015
Cartilage failures. Systematic literature review, critical survey analysis, and definition.
Synthesis in Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Matrix-assisted autologous chondrocyte transplantation is effective at mid/long-term for knee lesions: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2025Pooled it
- No differences in clinical outcome between CMI and Actifit meniscal scaffolds: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2022Pooled it
- No evidence for combining cartilage treatment and knee osteotomy in osteoarthritic joints: a systematic literature review.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2018Pooled it
- Leucocyte-poor-platelet-rich plasma intra-operative injection in chondral knee injuries improve patients outcomes. A prospective randomized trial.International orthopaedics · 2021Trial
- A multilayer biomaterial for osteochondral regeneration shows superiority vs microfractures for the treatment of osteochondral lesions in a multicentre randomized trial at 2 years.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2018Trial
- Clinical Effectiveness and Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Based Endurability of Matrix-Associated Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation with an Autologous Periosteal Flap for Articular Cartilage Defects of the Knee Joint.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- A non-interventional study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a biphasic, chondrocyte-containing biomaterial (NOVOCART® 3D) in the treatment of localized full-thickness cartilage defects or osteochondral lesions of the knee joint (NISANIK).Journal of experimental orthopaedics · 2025Article
- Cell-free biomimetic osteochondral scaffold for the treatment of knee articular surface lesions: Clinical outcomes differ based on patient and lesion characteristics.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2025Article
- Unicompartmental osteoarthritis: High survival rate with a combined mechanical and biological salvage approach as alternative to metal resurfacing: Results at minimum 10 years of follow-up.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2025Article
- Single-plug osteochondral autograft transplantation for knee osteochondritis dissecans: Clinical improvement and long-term survivorship at a minimum ten year follow-up.International orthopaedics · 2024Article
- Comment on "Twenty-two-year outcome of cartilage repair surgery by perichondrium transplantation" Maarten P. F. Janssen,Cartilage · 2021Article
- Article
- Cell-free osteochondral scaffolds provide a substantial clinical benefit in the treatment of osteochondral defects at a minimum follow-up of 5 years.Journal of experimental orthopaedics · 2021Article
- Osteochondral autograft transplantation versus autologous bone-cartilage paste grafting for the treatment of knee osteochondritis dissecans.International orthopaedics · 2021Article
- Biologic Augmentation Reduces the Failure Rate of Meniscal Repair: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2021Review
- Cell-Free Osteochondral Scaffold for the Treatment of Focal Articular Cartilage Defects in Early Knee OA: 5 Years' Follow-Up Results.Journal of clinical medicine · 2019Article
- Collagen-Covered Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation Versus Autologous Matrix-Induced Chondrogenesis: A Randomized Trial Comparing 2 Methods for Repair of Cartilage Defects of the Knee.Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2019Article
- Low rate of return to pre-injury sport level in athletes after cartilage surgery: a 10-year follow-up study.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2019Article
- Radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy promotes osteochondral regeneration of knee joints in rabbits.Experimental and therapeutic medicine · 2018Article
- Use of a Biomimetic Scaffold for the Treatment of Osteochondral Lesions in Early Osteoarthritis.BioMed research international · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeWhile midterm results of matrix-assisted autologous chondrocyte transplantation (MACT) are now available, less attention has been paid to the evaluation of failures of this surgical approach. Aim of this study was to analyse how "failures" are generally defined in cartilage surgery, in order to understand how the survival rate may change according to different definitions of failure.
methodsA systematic review on MACT in the knee was conducted to report failure rates as well as different failure definitions in the available literature. Afterwards, we analysed the survival curve at 8.5-year follow-up of a survey of 193 patients treated with MACT. Using different definitions to identify failures, we compared how the survival rate changed according to the different definitions of failure.
resultsThe systematic review on 93 papers showed that the average failure rate reported on 3,289 patients was 5.2 % at a mean 34 months of follow-up. However, 41 studies (44.1 %) did not even consider this aspect, and failures were variously defined, thus generating confusing data that make a meta-analysis or a study comparison meaningless. The failure analysis of the MACT survey showed that the survival curve changed significantly depending on the definition applied; in fact, the failure rate ranged from 3.6 to 33.7 %. According to a critical literature and survey analysis, we proposed a combined surgical- and improvement-based definition which led to a failure rate of 25.9 % at midterm/long-term follow-up.
conclusionNowadays, failure definitions of cartilage treatments differ in scientific articles, thus generating confusion and heterogeneous data even when applied to the same cohort of patients. While the literature analysis shows a low number of failures, this study demonstrated that if properly addressed with a comprehensive definition, the real failure rate of cartilage surgical procedures in the knee is higher than previously reported. Recognizing failures would give a better understanding and a more realistic prognosis to patients and physicians seeking treatment for cartilage lesions. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.