Traumatic cartilage lesions of the knee in the own material

Background. The knee joint cartilage is vulnerable to traumatic injury, which may lead to osteoarthritis and may result in restrictions of normal knee function and negatively influence the physical activity. The purpose of this study was the epidemiologic and statistical analysis of traumatic cartilage lesions. Material and methods. From 1998 to 2003, 5233 arthroscopies of the knee joint were performed in 5114 patients. The diagnosis of the cartilage lesion based on arthroscopy was a criterion for the inclusion to the study group. The retrospective analysis of patients' data was performed with the use of questionnaire adapted from IKDC (International Knee Documentation Committee) questionnaire and ICRS (International Cartilage Repair Society) questionnaire. Results. Traumatic cartilage lesions were found in 81.9% of all diagnosed cartilage lesions. Traumatic non-contact onset was the most common mechanism of injury and it was usually connected with sports participation and day living activity. Grade II according to ICRS classification was the most frequent grade of the traumatic cartilage lesion. The medial femoral condyle and patellar articular surface were the most common locations of the traumatic lesions. Conclusions. Our study confirms that traumatic cartilage lesions of the knee joint are common and occur in wide group of patients. In many cases they may lead to osteoarthritis.