Clinical Outcomes After Microfracture of the Knee: Midterm Follow-up:

Background:Microfracture is a single-stage arthroscopic procedure used to treat small- and medium-sized cartilage defects, the clinical results of which have been mixed to date.Purpose:To retrospectively evaluate prospectively collected patient-reported outcomes (PROs) after microfracture as well as to determine patient-related and defect-related factors associated with clinical outcomes and which factors predict the need for additional surgery.Study Design:Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3.Methods:All patients between the ages of 10 and 70 years who underwent microfracture by the senior author for a focal chondral defect of the knee between January 1, 2005, and March 1, 2010, were eligible for study enrollment. Patients were excluded if they underwent concomitant procedures that violated the subchondral bone. Functional outcomes were determined using preoperative and final follow-up PROs, including the Lysholm, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC), Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outco...