Treating the Younger Degenerative Knee From Osteotomy to Arthroplasty (AANA22)-Preserve It!: Osteotomy and Cartilage Restoration

Video Transcription

Video Summary

Dr. Eric Strauss from NYU emphasizes the importance of combining osteotomy with cartilage restoration for joint preservation in young patients with cartilage pathology. He presents cases where osteochondral allografts paired with realigning osteotomies effectively addressed symptomatic lesions and malalignment, delaying total knee arthroplasty. Evidence cited shows improved long-term survival and reduced reoperations with concomitant osteotomy during cartilage repair procedures. Strauss stresses optimizing biomechanical alignment to enhance cartilage restoration outcomes and advocates a low threshold to incorporate unloading osteotomies. He acknowledges the complexity of these cases and the necessity of surgical experience and multidisciplinary collaboration. The discussion also covers technical details such as aiming for neutral mechanical axis correction, frequent use of diagnostic arthroscopy, and postoperative use of unloader braces to protect repairs. Overall, the combined joint preservation approach improves function, delays degenerative progression, and lowers conversion to knee replacement in active patients.

Asset Caption

Eric J. Strauss, M.D.

Keywords

osteotomy

cartilage restoration

joint preservation

osteochondral allografts

knee arthroplasty delay