Arthroscopic-assisted focal resurfacing of the knee with minimal bone resection: Surgical technique and preliminary clinical results

The main purpose of this paper is to describe a new arthroscopic-assisted surgical technique for focal resurfacing of the medial tibiofemoral compartment. The secondary aim is to present the preliminary clinical and radiographic results in a case series of 13 consecutive patients at a mean follow-up of 29 months. All patients were treated with the presented surgical procedure between November 2006 and March 2007 for Ahlback grade 3 osteoarthritis restricted to the medial tibiofemoral compartment. Subjective evaluation was based on a visual analogue scale for self-assessment of joint pain. Objective clinical evaluation was based on the Hospital for Special Surgery score. Range of motion was evaluated with a manual goniometer. Radiographic evaluation compared hip-knee-ankle angle preoperatively and postoperatively. The presented technique has shown good clinical and functional results. The Hospital for Special Surgery score and visual analogue scale showed a significant improvement (P<0.0001 and P=0.0002, respectively). Range of motion and axial alignment were not significantly modified with respect to preoperative condition. Despite the small sample size and short follow-up, an arthroscopic-assisted procedure for focal resurfacing of the medial compartment of the knee can be a viable option for early-onset osteoarthritis in selected cases, providing good pain relief and functional results at 2-year follow-up.