The Illustrative Osteochondral Cylinder Transfer Techniques for Cartilage Repair: The Mosaicplasty Technique

The successful surgical treatment of chondral and osteochondral defects is based on two main pillars: the restoration of the biomechanics and the effective cartilage repair. Several new surgical techniques have been developed in the recent three decades for the cartilage repair like transplantation of autologous and allogenic osteochondral grafts, cell therapies, cell-free biodegradable scaffolds, and other regenerative surgical adjuvants. Autologous osteochondral mosaicplasty is a surgical technique to treat focal chondral and osteochondral defects of the weight-bearing articular surfaces of the joints. During arthroscopic or mini-arthrotomy mosaicplasty, cylindrical osteochondral grafts are harvested from the less or non-weight-bearing periphery of the patellofemoral joint and implanted into the defected area in a mosaic-like fashion, hence the name of the technique. This technique is used most frequently for femoral condylar lesions, but there are specific indications in the ankle, hip, elbow, and shoulder joints as well. Mosaicplasty is recommended for 1.0-4.0 cm2 full-thickness chondral or osteochondral focal defects of the weight-bearing articular surfaces. [1-4]. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021.