[Indication for and performance of articular cartilage drilling using the Pridie method]

Articular cartilage has only a small capacity for regneration. This makes the repair of articular surfaces difficult. In 1959 Pridie described his method of resurfacing osteoarthritic knee joints. This operation is still in widespread use today. Pridie introduced the principle of drilling exposed subchondral bone with the objective of encouraging a fibro-cartilaginous repair. The newly formed fibrocartilaginous layer that develops over the lesion in osteoarthritis may be enough to decrease patients symptoms. Bone drilling into the subchondral layer is also effective in promoting healing of osteochondrosis dissecans. The choice of the treatment should be based on factors such as age of the patient, serverity of symptoms, activity level and functional demands on the joint, site and stage of the lesion. The drilling operation remains useful in osteoathritis and osteochondrosis dissecans.