Description
The aim of this study was to analyze the mid-term results obtained in patellar lesions treated with a bio-scaffold, a mixture consisting of a chitosan solution and the patient's own autologous blood that forms a stable clot in the lesion. Fifteen patients with grade 3-4 ICRS patellar surface cartilage lesions were treated with a chitosan bio-scaffold. Two patients were lost to follow- up, while thirteen patients were prospectively evaluated at a mean follow-up of 73.4 ± 14.5 months with the subjective IKDC, KOOS and Tegner clinical scores. The subjective IKDC score improved from 46.2 ± 20.0 pre-intervention to 70.1 ± 21.5 (p < 0.05) at mid-term follow-up and no significant differences were found compared to 24 months (77.1 ± 21.1; p=n.s). KOOS Pain, KOOS Sport/Rec and KOOS QOL and Tegner also showed significant improvement from baseline to 24 months follow-up, with stable results up to the final follow-up. The MRI evaluation performed using the MOCART 2.0 total score showed positive results at 24 months and at the last follow-up. atellar chondral lesions represent a complex pathology with inferior results compared to other sites. The chitosan-based bioscaffold is a safe surgical treatment that provides significant clinical improvement up to mid-term follow-up in the treatment of patellar cartilage lesions.
