Global Variation in Studies of Articular Cartilage Procedures of the Knee: A Systematic Review

Relatively higher-quality human studies compared with other topics in this database, e.g. multiple RCTs or systematic reviews. This does not mean it is standard or approved care.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Objective The objective of this study was to determine whether there are significant differences in terms of indications, techniques, patient variables, and objective and subjective outcome scores as a function of the geographic locale of published studies of knee articular cartilage surgery. Methods An electronic database search was performed of clinical studies evaluating knee articular cartilage procedures from 2000 to 2021. Studies were separated into global regions (Europe, Asia, North America, and South America) based on the study country. All cartilage-based treatments in each region were recorded. Patient age and sex, mechanism of injury, cartilage lesion size and location, follow-up time, failure rate, and knee outcome scores utilized were summarized and compared by region. Results A total of 2,923 studies were analyzed. Eighty level 1 and 2 studies met the inclusion criteria. The majority were from Europe ( n = 60), followed by Asia ( n = 11), North America ( n = 7), and South America ( n = 2). The majority of procedures in European and North American studies were cell-based and marrow-stimulation procedures. In Asian studies, the most common procedures were marrow-stimulation, experimental, and biologic procedures as defined by the authors. Asian countries had a higher proportion of females ( P P Conclusion Most high-level evidence for articular cartilage-based proce

Evidence level

Relatively higher-quality human studies compared with other topics in this database, e.g. multiple RCTs or systematic reviews. This does not mean it is standard or approved care.

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