Tibiofemoral cartilage defect with malalignment

Abstract

Tibiofemoral cartilage defects are often found in concurrence with and may be secondary to malalignment. This case discusses the treatment and evaluation of a 34-year-old female with a history of 2 years of atraumatic medial knee pain with prior partial meniscectomy found to have varus malalignment of 6° and a 2 cm2 chondral defect in the medial femoral condyle with an intact subchondral bone plate. When determining the appropriate treatment for a patient with these or similar symptoms, factors to consider include the following: degreeof malalignment, smoking status, BMI, contralateral defects, concomitant meniscal lesions, extent of arthritis, range of motion, and likelihood of postoperative compliance. This discussion uses a review of recent literature to address the process of choosing an appropriate treatment and determining whether or not to correct cartilage abnormalities in conjunction with misalignment correction.