Postoperative imaging of cartilage: where are we in 2023?

Imaging, particularly magnetic resonance imaging, and cartilage restoration surgery have both made substantial progress since the beginning of the 21st century. This era has seen high-field (3 T) magnets become ubiquitous in large centers, the development of novel quantitative imaging tools, and the advent of new generations of autologous cartilage implantation techniques. Here, we provide an update on postoperative imaging after cartilage restoration surgeries.

Postoperative magnetic resonance imaging of cartilage restorative procedures is used for both confirming the success of the repair and identifying potential complications. There are no standard protocols for postoperative imaging following cartilage restorative procedures; however, in general, imaging can be routinely used 3 to 6 months postoperatively to assess for integration of repair and, depending on the technique, at approximately 6 to 12 months to assess for defect filling, integration with the host, and maturation of repair tissue. Imaging permits longitudinal assessments of cartilage repair and the adjacent osteochondral unit and is essential to assess the success of cartilage restoration.