KNEE ARTHRITIS - Cartilage plug transfer :

Question about OATS vs. ACI - - Posted by blackbeltgirl (blackbeltgirl), 23 December 2004

Can someone tell me why they chose OATS over ACI, or if it was simply a matter of what was offered?

Is OATS indicated if the damage is sized ____ or smaller?  I am missing about 18 square cm of cartilage.  My dr. said ACI, but I'm not sure if he prefers ACI, or if I'm not a candidate for OATS due to the size of the damaged area.

Thanks.
Posted by brattkids2 (brattkids2), 27 December 2004

OATS is generally for smaller than the area you have. 18 cm is a large area and with OATS they take plugs from other areas (the non weight bearing) and put them where the bad spots are.

With an area that large it may cause you more problems with an OATS because they would have to cause another area of damage at least that size to get the good cartilage needed to replace the bad!!!

With the ACI the harvest some cells and grow the size graft that you need.

My first proceedure was a modified ACI where I had a new synthetic material to cover the bad areas. This did not require a full open proceedure either (I have about a 1.5 inch incision) I had lesions on both the lateral(I actually had 2 lesions on this side-1.7cm x1.8cm and a 1.2cm x1.3cm) and medial 1.7cm x 1.7 cm) sides and didnt have much area to take plugs from and my doctor didnt want me to have to wait for the graft to grow as I was in a great amout of pain due to the medial side having full thickness lesions and bone damage. (I stepped in a hole and broke the chondyle).
This covered the bone defect well and the lateral side healed nicely. I had to go back for a traditional OATS to fill in the rest of the gap on the medial side. This plug was only 9mm.

I am not sure of the exact size that they wont do OATS anymore with but yours sounds to big.

Hope this helps a bit
Paulette
Posted by blackbeltgirl (blackbeltgirl), 13 January 2005

Thanks Paulette.  That's what I was thinking, but since I have a few weeks left before I go back to the dr., and I'm impatient....

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