2023 Annual Meeting Biologics-Marrow Stimulation_ Is the Historic Gold Standard Past Its Prime

Marrow Stimulation_ Is the Historic Gold Standard Past Its Prime_

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The speaker thanks colleagues and discusses cartilage lesion incidence and surgery trends, highlighting microfracture as a common first-line treatment. However, concerns with traditional microfracture include irreversible subchondral bone damage, subchondral cyst formation, diminished success in revision surgeries, and declining long-term results. Studies show microfracture outcomes worsen after two years, with reduced return-to-sport rates, especially in high-level athletes. Classic microfracture uses shallow awl penetration, which is ineffective; deeper, narrower drilling is essential to reduce bone damage and improve stem cell recruitment. The speaker concludes that traditional microfracture is outdated and should be abandoned in favor of improved marrow stimulation techniques.

Asset Caption

Christopher J. Tucker, M.D.

Keywords

cartilage lesion

microfracture surgery

subchondral bone damage

marrow stimulation techniques

revision surgery outcomes