The OATS (osteoarticular transfer system) procedure is a type of surgical procedure called mosaicplasty that is used to treat a knee injury called focal cartilage defects. OATS is one technique of several used to treat this problem.
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A mosaicplasty uses cartilage from undamaged areas of the joint and moves this cartilage to a damaged area.This type of procedure is only useful for the treatment of focal cartilage damage, which means the widespread damage of cartilage seen in conditions likeosteoarthritiscannot be treated with mosaicplasty. This treatment is only used for isolated areas of cartilage damage, usually limited to 10 millimeters to 20 millimeters in size. This type of damage is typically seen in patients younger than 50 years old who experience trauma to their joint.
When Is the OATS Procedure Performed?
The OATS procedure is fairly common, but ifX-raysor arthroscopic examination show evidence of more widespread cartilage damage, the OATS procedure will not be performed. The reason is that the OATS procedure will not benefit these patients.
How Successful Is the OATS Procedure?
A 2012 study of 96 patients compared the OATS procedure to another knee procedure called microfracture treatment for isolated articularcartilagedefects. The patients were on average 30–32 years old and were followed yearly for five years after surgery. Researchers found similar general health and knee function outcomes for both procedures.However, patients undergoing OATS mosiacplasty were able to maintain a superior level of athletic activity afterward than those who had the microfracture procedure.
A 2018 study reported on people 10 years or more after an OATS procedure. It found good clinical results. While 50% had progression of cartilage degeneration in the knee that was operated on, those who didn’t have progression reported good knee function.
How the OATS Procedure Is Performed
Then a socket is made on the surface that had the focal cartilage defect that will be the right size to receive the plug. A recipient harvester is hammered in and twisted to remove a plug to make the right size and depth of the hole. An alignment rod is used to measure the depth and any needed adjustments are made to prepare it for the transplant graft.
Once it is ready, the graft delivery tube is placed at the lip of the recipient socket and extruded (forced) into it. A tamp is then tapped to seat the graft in the socket. The surgeon may fill the donor sites with hydroxyapatite rods and may use biological glues to seal the recipient socket.
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.International Cartilage Regeneration and Joint Preservation Society.Mosaicplasty.Arthrex:Single Use OATS (Osteochondral Autograft Transfer System) Surgical Technique403, 2013.Aaron J. Krych, MD; Heather W. Harnly, MD; Scott A. Rodeo, MD; Riley J. Williams III, MD. “Activity Levels Are Higher After Osteochondral Autograft Transfer Mosaicplasty Than After Microfracture for Articular Cartilage Defects of the Knee A Retrospective Comparative Study.” J Bone Joint Surg Am, 2012 Jun 06; 94 (11): 971 -978 . http://dx.doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.K.00815.Ekman E, Mäkelä K, Kohonen I, Hiltunen A, Itälä A.Favourable long-term functional and radiographical outcome after osteoautograft transplantation surgery of the knee: a minimum 10-year follow-up.Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2018;26(12):3560-3565. doi:10.1007/s00167-018-4995-2
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.International Cartilage Regeneration and Joint Preservation Society.Mosaicplasty.Arthrex:Single Use OATS (Osteochondral Autograft Transfer System) Surgical Technique403, 2013.Aaron J. Krych, MD; Heather W. Harnly, MD; Scott A. Rodeo, MD; Riley J. Williams III, MD. “Activity Levels Are Higher After Osteochondral Autograft Transfer Mosaicplasty Than After Microfracture for Articular Cartilage Defects of the Knee A Retrospective Comparative Study.” J Bone Joint Surg Am, 2012 Jun 06; 94 (11): 971 -978 . http://dx.doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.K.00815.Ekman E, Mäkelä K, Kohonen I, Hiltunen A, Itälä A.Favourable long-term functional and radiographical outcome after osteoautograft transplantation surgery of the knee: a minimum 10-year follow-up.Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2018;26(12):3560-3565. doi:10.1007/s00167-018-4995-2
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
International Cartilage Regeneration and Joint Preservation Society.Mosaicplasty.Arthrex:Single Use OATS (Osteochondral Autograft Transfer System) Surgical Technique403, 2013.Aaron J. Krych, MD; Heather W. Harnly, MD; Scott A. Rodeo, MD; Riley J. Williams III, MD. “Activity Levels Are Higher After Osteochondral Autograft Transfer Mosaicplasty Than After Microfracture for Articular Cartilage Defects of the Knee A Retrospective Comparative Study.” J Bone Joint Surg Am, 2012 Jun 06; 94 (11): 971 -978 . http://dx.doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.K.00815.Ekman E, Mäkelä K, Kohonen I, Hiltunen A, Itälä A.Favourable long-term functional and radiographical outcome after osteoautograft transplantation surgery of the knee: a minimum 10-year follow-up.Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2018;26(12):3560-3565. doi:10.1007/s00167-018-4995-2
International Cartilage Regeneration and Joint Preservation Society.Mosaicplasty.
Arthrex:Single Use OATS (Osteochondral Autograft Transfer System) Surgical Technique403, 2013.
Aaron J. Krych, MD; Heather W. Harnly, MD; Scott A. Rodeo, MD; Riley J. Williams III, MD. “Activity Levels Are Higher After Osteochondral Autograft Transfer Mosaicplasty Than After Microfracture for Articular Cartilage Defects of the Knee A Retrospective Comparative Study.” J Bone Joint Surg Am, 2012 Jun 06; 94 (11): 971 -978 . http://dx.doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.K.00815.
Ekman E, Mäkelä K, Kohonen I, Hiltunen A, Itälä A.Favourable long-term functional and radiographical outcome after osteoautograft transplantation surgery of the knee: a minimum 10-year follow-up.Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2018;26(12):3560-3565. doi:10.1007/s00167-018-4995-2
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