Table 3.
Level of Evidence Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
| First Author (Year of Publication) | N | Level of Evidence | Category | Comparison | Follow-up | Outcome Measures | Included in Subjective Synthesis? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koh et al. (2016)13 | 80 | Level II | Injectable | MFX+ injectable adipose-derived MSC injections vs. MFX alone | 2 years | KOOS | Yes |
| Shive et al. (2015)24 | 80 | Level I | Scaffolding | MFX+ BST-CarGel vs. MFX alone | 1 year, 5 years | WOMAC, SF-36 | No—insufficient statistics provided |
| Anders et al. (2013)22 | 38 | Level II | Scaffolding | MFX+ AMIC Chondro-Gide vs. MFX alone | 2 years | Cincinnati | Yes |
| Chung et al. (2013) | 36 | Level II | Scaffolding | MFX+ Artifilm ECM vs. MFX alone | 2 years | IKDC, VAS pain | Yes |
| Saw et al. (2013)35 | 49 | Level IIa | Injectable | MFX+ HA + peripheral blood stem cells vs. MFX+ HA alone | 2 years | IKDC, KOOS | No—no MFX only comparison cohort |
| Lee et al. (2012)15 | 49 | Level II | Injectable | MFX+ PRP injections vs. MFX alone | 2 years | IKDC, VAS pain | Yes |
| Lee et al. (2012)14 | 70 | Level IIa | Injectable | MFX+ Postoperative MSCs + HA vs. MFX+ intraoperative MSCs + HA | 2 years | IKDC, Lysholm | No—no MFX only comparison cohort |
AMIC = autologous matrix-induced chondrogenesis; HA = hyaluronic acid; IKDC = International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Form; KOOS = Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score; MFX = microfracture; MSC = mesenchymal stem cell; PRP = platelet-rich plasma; VAS = visual analog scale; WOMAC = Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index.
a
Randomized trial compares 2 different microfracture plus adjuvant interventions (effectively level IV for purpose of this review).