Cartilage Health in Knees Treated with Metal Resurfacing Implants or Untreated Focal Cartilage Lesions: A Preclinical Study in Sheep

Full-depth cartilage lesions do not heal and the long-term clinical outcome is uncertain. In the symptomatic middle-aged (35-60 years) patient, treatment with metal implants has been proposed. However, the cartilage health surrounding these implants has not been thoroughly studied. Our objective was to evaluate the health of cartilage opposing and adjacent to metal resurfacing implants