Favorable Short‐Term Outcomes for Minced Cartilage Implantation in Cartilage Defects of the Knee: A Systematic Review

Purpose To systematically review available data on clinical, structural, and safety outcomes after minced cartilage implantation (MCI) in knee cartilage defects and to descriptively compare outcomes with microfracture and other treatment modalities. Methods A systematic search following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses guidelines was performed in 3 databases evaluating MCI for knee cartilage defects. Extracted variables included patient characteristics, patient‐reported outcomes, structural outcomes, and complications at 12 and ≥24 months. Outcomes were summarized descriptively using study‐level data without pooled estimates. Results Seventeen studies comprising 493 patients treated with MCI were included, with a minimum follow‐up of 12 months and a maximum of 60 months and mean defect sizes ranging from 2.53 to 4.5 cm 2 (International Cartilage Repair Society grade III‐IV). Improvement in International Knee Documentation Committee scores ranged from 21.6 to 40.8 points at 12 months and 19.7 to 43.9 points at ≥24 months. Visual analog scale pain scores improved from a range of 3.5 to 7.2 preoperatively to a range of 0.6 to 2.5 points at both timepoints. Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score total and subscale scores showed improvement across all reporting studies. Magnetic Resonance Observation of Cartilage Repair Tissue scores ranged from the low 50s to mid‐80s at both timepoints. Comparative studies with microfracture displayed mixed findings of functional scores at 12 months and numerically higher International Knee Documentation Committee scores at ≥24 months. Complication rates ranged from 0% to 14% at 12 months and 0% to 8% at 24 months. Conclusions In this study, MCI is associated with improvements in pain and knee function, favorable structural repair, and low reported complication rates at short‐ to midterm follow‐up. Level of Evidence Level IV, systematic review of Level I to IV studies.