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A unique surgical procedure allows orthopaedic surgeons from the Rothman Institute to take healthy cartilage from a person’s knee joint and use it to repair the damaged portion of the knee.
The procedure is called Osteochondral Allograft Transfer System, or OATS. OATS can be an option for patients who, through an athletic injury or trauma to their knee joint, have damaged the surface cartilage on the weight-bearing portion of the knee. This damage can create a “pothole” of missing cartilage, which can cause further cartilage deterioration and bone-on-bone pain.
During the OATS procedure, surgeons remove healthy cartilage from a nonweightbearing surface of the knee and plug the damaged area, which is grafted and resurfaced. The procedure is performed arthroscopically, which entails making small incisions and may result in less pain and quicker recovery times.
Says Dr. Michael Ciccotti, sports medicine specialist with the Rothman Institute: “We have seen excellent results from patients who have undergone the OATS procedure.” Dr. Ciccotti and his colleagues who specialize in knee injuries see many patients who are candidates for OATS.
Your physician will discuss whether OATS is an option for your injury. Those under 50 who have suffered a limited amount of damage to the surface cartilage are the best candidates.
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