Transplantation of fresh osteochondral allografts is a possible biological resurfacing
option to substitute massive bone loss and provide proper gliding surfaces for extended
and deep osteochondral lesions of weight-bearing articular surfaces. Limited chondrocyte
survival and technical difficulties may compromise the efficacy of osteochondral transfers.
As experimental data suggest that minimizing the time between graft harvest and implantation
may improve chondrocyte survival rate a <48 hours donor to recipient time was used
to repair massive osteochondral defects. For optimal graft congruency, a magnetic
resonance-based artificial intelligence algorithm was also developed to provide proper
technical support. Based on 3 years of experience, increased survival rate of transplanted
chondrocytes and improved clinical outcomes were observed.
