SynthesisCartilage2021
Cell-Free Scaffolds in Cartilage Knee Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Clinical Evidence.
Synthesis in Cartilage, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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
18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 32 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- A Clinical Study of Decellularized Tissue Engineering Hyaline Cartilage Graft (dLhCG) for Articular Cartilage Repair.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Innovative Technologies for Articular Cartilage Repair: Research, Development, and Clinical Translation-A Narrative Review.Journal of functional biomaterials · 2026Review
- Arthroscopic Implantation of a Cell-Free Bilayer Scaffold for the Treatment of Knee Chondral Lesions: A 2-Year Prospective Study.Cartilage · 2025Article
- In Vitro Characterization of Human Cell Sources in Collagen Type I Gel Scaffold for Meniscus Tissue Engineering.Gels (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- A bioactive supramolecular and covalent polymer scaffold for cartilage repair in a sheep model.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2024Article
- Subchondral bone: An emerging target for the treatment of articular surface lesions of the knee.Journal of experimental orthopaedics · 2024Review
- Chitosan-based scaffold augmentation to microfractures: Stable results at mid-term follow-up in patients with patellar cartilage lesions.Journal of experimental orthopaedics · 2024Article
- The reimbursement system can influence the treatment choice and favor joint replacement versus other less invasive solutions in patients affected by osteoarthritis.Journal of experimental orthopaedics · 2023Article
- Knee Cartilage Lesion Management-Current Trends in Clinical Practice.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Review
- Chitosan based scaffold applied in patellar cartilage lesions showed positive clinical and MRI results at minimum 2 years of follow up.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2023Article
- The 50 most-cited clinical articles in cartilage surgery research: a bibliometric analysis.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2022Article
- Scaffolds for Knee Chondral and Osteochondral Defects: Indications for Different Clinical Scenarios. A Consensus Statement.Cartilage · 2021Article
- Multi-layer cell-free scaffolds for osteochondral defects of the knee: a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical evidence.Journal of experimental orthopaedics · 2021Review
- Matrix-assisted chondrocyte transplantation with bone grafting for knee osteochondritis dissecans: stable results at 12 years.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2021Article
- Autologous chondrocytes versus filtered bone marrow mesenchymal stem/stromal cells for knee cartilage repair-a prospective study.International orthopaedics · 2021Article
- Microbial Transglutaminase ImprovesFrontiers in medical technology · 2021Article
- Platelet-Rich Plasma Augmentation to Microfracture Provides a Limited Benefit for the Treatment of Cartilage Lesions: A Meta-analysis.Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo evaluate current evidence and results of cell-free scaffold techniques for knee chondral lesions.
designA systematic review was conducted on 3 medical electronic databases according to PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) guidelines, and the methodological quality was assessed with a modified Coleman Methodology Score. A meta-analysis was performed on the articles reporting results for visual analogue scale (VAS), Lysholm, and International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) scores. In order to investigate the clinical results improvement over time of cell-free cartilage scaffold implantation, all scores were reported and analyzed as improvement from basal scores at 1, 2, and ≥3 years' follow-up.
resultsA total of 23 studies involving 521 patients were included in the qualitative data synthesis. The Coleman score showed an overall poor study quality with the majority of studies reporting results at short-/mid-term follow-up. Sixteen studies were included in the meta-analysis, showing a significant improvement from basal score at 1, 2, and ≥3 years' follow-up. The improvement reached at 1 year remained stable up to the last follow-up for all scores.
conclusionsThe current literature suggests that cell-free scaffolds may provide good clinical short-/mid-term results; however, the low evidence of the published studies and their short mean follow-up demand further evidence before more definitive conclusions can be drawn on their real potential over time and on their advantages and disadvantages compared to the cell-based strategies for the treatment of cartilage lesions.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.