Cartilage Transplant

What is the Purpose of OATS?

Osteochondral Autograft Transplantation Surgery (OATS) has been demonstrated to be an effective treatment option for knee cartilage injuries. The term “osteochondral” means “related to bone or cartilage,” while “autograft” means a graft of tissue from one part of your body to another. An alternate version of the OATS procedure that is “allograft,” which involves transplanting tissue from a donor.

Cartilage makes it possible for your joints to move without friction or grinding. Knee cartilage can be damaged in numerous ways, including:

• Falling on the knee
• Rapidly changing direction
• Jumping down
• Dislocation
• Repetitive stress, such as running, can cause damage in some cases

Unlike other tissue in the body, cartilage cannot repair itself, and any injury is difficult to resolve. The OATS procedure makes it possible to restore the normal function of cartilage.

How Does It Work?

The OATS procedure is aimed at replacing “articular” cartilage. In the knee, this tissue can be found on end of the femur, the back of the knee cap and the top of the tibia. This tissue creates a surface that allows the bones to glide smoothly – a surface five times more smooth than ice on ice.

When this tissue is damaged, and bone is exposed, you can experience swelling, pain, loss of motion or weakness. In the OATS procedure, plugs of bone from a donor are transplanted in the injury areas. It is the only procedure that actually restores articular cartilage.

How is the Procedure Performed?

This outpatient surgery is done at our state-of-the-art surgical center.

The goal is to take a plug of healthy cartilage from a non-weight-bearing portion of your knee and then graft it in the area where your cartilage is damaged. First, the surgeon will prepare the area where the graft will be placed, and then a plug of healthy cartilage is harvested and implanted in the damaged area.