Editorial Commentary: The Search for the Cartilage "Holy Grail": Are We There Yet?

A study by Zhang et al. provided a Level IV systematic review of 23 studies (13 clinical and 10 basic science) that examined the current state of single-stage procedures for cartilage repair. The results of this review suggested that in the short-term (minimum 2-year follow-up), single-stage cell-based cartilage procedures significantly improve pain and function from the preoperative state and provide comparable defect fill and tissue quality as compared with their predecessor 2-stage procedures. The authors should be commended for summarizing the current state of single-stage cartilage repair techniques; however, further work must be done to find the cartilage restoration "holy grail."