Osteochondral Autologous Transfer System (OATS) is a surgical procedure where a plug of bone and cartilage is cored from a relatively unimportant area of knee cartilage and used to replace damage to an important area.

osteochondral plug

The plug is a core of cartilage and bone.

OATS procedure

The plug is 'press fit' into the prepared defect, without any fibrin glue.

 

One-stage OATS procedure

In an Osteochondral Autologous Transfer System the plug of tissue (osteochondral graft) is taken from the patient rather than from a donor. It is a 'one-stage' procedure, where the harvesting and the grafting are performed at the same surgery.

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Peer-reviewed papers

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Synonyms: 
osteoarticular transfer system
OATS
mosaicplasty
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Dr Sheila Strover (Editor)
BSc (Hons), MB BCh, MBA

See biography...