Towards Robotic Surgery for Cartilage Replacement: A Review on Cartilage Defects

Precise knowledge of the size and location of hyaline cartilage defects is essential for the development of robotic tools for cartilage repair surgery in the knee. The German Cartilage Registry indicates that about 45% of the defects are at the medial femoral condyle and nearly 30% at the patella. Our literature analysis confirms that the femur, especially the medial side, is the most frequent location for cartilage defects in the knee but that defects in the retropatellar region are common as well. Surgery methods to treat cartilage defects can be differentiated by the type of surgical approach. Most defects are eligible for minimal-invasive arthroscopic treatment. Accordingly developed instruments should reach the femoral and retropatellar region. Regarding cartilage defect size a range from 0.02 cm(2) to 50 cm(2) was reported in literature.