Management of failed knee cartilage surgery—an international Delphi consensus statement

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Introduction Articular cartilage injuries of the knee are a complex and challenging clinical pathology. Objectives The purpose of this study was to establish consensus statements via a Delphi process on the management of failed knee cartilage surgery. Methods A consensus process on knee cartilage injuries utilizing a modified Delphi technique was conducted. Seventy-nine surgeons across 17 countries participated in these consensus statements. Eleven questions were generated on the management of failed knee cartilage surgery, with 3 rounds of questionnaires and final voting occurring. Consensus was defined as achieving 80% to 89% agreement, whereas strong consensus was defined as 90% to 99% agreement, and unanimous consensus was defined as 100% agreement with a proposed statement. Results Of the 11 total questions and consensus statements on the management of failed knee cartilage surgery developed from 3 rounds of voting, 0 achieved unanimous consensus, 10 achieved strong consensus, and 1 achieved consensus. Conclusions The statements that achieved strong consensus related to revision cartilage indications, contraindications, lesion size, prior procedures, unipolar/bipolar lesions, and salvage procedures. The statement that did not achieve strong consensus was related to the management of a failed osteochondral autograft/allograft.