Clinical efficacy of the microfracture technique for articular cartilage repair in the knee: an evidence-based systematic analysis

Mithoefer K, McAdams T, Williams RJ, et al. · The American Journal of Sports Medicine

Microfracture reliably improved knee function in the first 24 months, but durability beyond that was conflicting, with deterioration reported after 5 years; only 5 of 28 studies followed patients that long.

Population

3,122 patients across 28 studies of knee microfracture

Intervention

Microfracture

Comparator

Various (within included studies)

Limitations

Included mostly lower-level studies; heterogeneous techniques and outcome measures; sparse long-term data.