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Big chondral damages with normal cartilage in rest of the knee require OATS.
Indications
- The patient has a full-thickness defect in the weight bearing area
- Cartilage defects, usually bigger than 2 cm2 in size
- Young active patients with normal knee alignment
- Where microfracture may not be indicate
How OATS surgery is performed?
We perform OATS surgery arthroscopically mostly under regional anesthesia. Arthroscopically first the chondral damage area is debrided and the size of graft required is calculated. After calculations a bone plug is taken from non-weight bearing area of the knee and the graft is then shifted to the recipient area and is snugly fitted to match the adjoining cartilage. If the defect is big multiple plugs can also be used.
Post-Operative Protocol for OATS
The patients who undergo osteochondral autograft transfers are usually non-weight-bearing for 6 weeks Knee bending and other exercises are started within 24 hours. At 6 weeks postoperatively, they are permitted to increase their weight-bearing as tolerated, start the use of a stationary cycle, and increase their overall activity levels. In general, return to sports take around 3-6 months.
