Treatment options and outcomes for paediatric knee cartilage lesions: a systematic review.

Abstract

<h4>Background</h4>Many treatments exist for paediatric knee cartilage lesions, without a clear consensus or gold standard. This systematic review analyses surgical approaches and assesses outcome evidence.<h4>Methods</h4>OVID Medline and EMBASE were searched to January 2025 using a customised strategy with MESH terms. Two reviewers independently screened studies on paediatric knee cartilage pathology (age <18), including microfracture, autologous matrix-induced chondrogenesis (AMIC), autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI), osteochondral allograft transplantation (OCA), osteochondral autograft transfer (OATS), or chondroplasty. Risk of bias assessment utilised ROB2 and MINORS. Analysis focused on outcome score improvements, with subgroup analysis by technique, age, location, failure rates, and lesion size.<h4>Results</h4>This review included 18 studies (12/18 case series) with 475 patients (56 % male). Most studies had high bias risk and low methodological quality. Follow-up ranged from 1 to 9.6 years. The medial femoral condyle (MFC) was the most common location (177 patients). OATS outperformed microfracture in radiographic repair and return-to-sport. OCA improved pain and function for larger defects and had the lowest failure rates. ACI consistently enhanced function, while microfracture was primarily used for smaller lesions. Internal fixation when added to concurrent procedures had mixed results, sometimes underperforming excision but showing some MRI-confirmed cartilage restoration. Smaller (<2 cm) and MFC defects had better outcomes. Older adolescents more often received OCA or ACI.<h4>Conclusions</h4>ACI, OATS and OCA show the most promise for treating paediatric knee cartilage defects, but significant variability in techniques and outcomes remains. A gold standard is crucial to prevent long-term complications in this young population.