Patients aged 50 to 69 years show comparable outcomes with those aged under 50 years following autologous matrix-induced chondrogenesis for the repair of focal chondral defects in the knee

Aims Patient age can have a significant impact on healing after injury; however, there is limited research on how age affects chondral repair. The purpose of this study was to compare the Lysholm score and visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain following single-stage surgical repair of chondral lesions in the knee via autologous matrix-induced chondrogenesis (AMIC) between two cohorts of patients: one aged 50 to 69 years and a cohort aged under 50 years. Methods Data were extracted from a prospective, multisite registry. Patients aged 50 to 69 years (n = 44) were compared with those aged under 50 years (n = 173). All patients had preoperative and postoperative patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) of Lysholm and pain VAS. The mean follow-up was 6.8 years (SD 3.6). Comparison of the outcomes was conducted with a mixed-model analysis of variance. Results The mean age of the cohorts was significantly different (54.8 years (SD 4.2) vs 35.3 years (SD 8.1); p < 0.001), but there was no difference in terms of Outerbridge classification, BMI, or defect size. The postoperative PROMs showed no significant difference (Lysholm, p = 0.232; VAS, p = 0.299) between the > 50-year-old cohort and the < 50-year-old cohort. Conclusion The outcomes support the contention that chronological age over 50 years is not a contraindication for chondral repair using the AMIC surgical technique. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2025;107-B(10):1020–1027.