Table 2.
Characteristics of included studies.
| Study | Inclusion Criteria | Number of Patients | Age, Mean ± SD | BMI, kg/m2, Mean ± SD | Defect, cm2, Mean ± SD | Follow-Up | Outcome | Concomitant Intervention (HTO) | Study Design | etc. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Each Group | ||||||||||
| chung 2021 [23] | younger than 65 years, ICRS grade III or IV cartilage defects (>2 cm2), mechanical femorotibial varus angles > 3°, and KL grade 3 | 93 | N/A | 56.6 years (43–65) | 25.8 kg/m2 (20.9–33.2) | median 6.5 cm2 (2.0–12.8) | mean 1.7 Y (1.0–3.5 Y) | IKDC, WOMAC, KSS, HSS, and ICRS | with HTO | retrospective cohort | N/A |
| song 2020 (1) [19] | older than 40 years, ICRS IV (>2 cm2), KL grade 1–3, and femorotibial angle (varus or valgus) < 8° | 128 | N/A | 56.5 ± 7.9 (40–78) | 24.6 ± 3.6 kg/m2 (17–45.8) | one/two/three, 67 (4.5 ± 1.3)/49 (7.3 ± 2.9)/12 (9.8 ± 3.6) |
36.1 ± 6.4 M (25–47 M) | VAS, WOMAC, IKDC, and MOCART (for 34 pts) | without HTO | retrospective cohort | subgroup analysis: trochlea lesion, age, and lesion size |
| song 2020 (2) [18] | older than 40 years, ICRS IV (>4 cm2) in medial compartment, KL grade 1–3, and femorotibial angle varus > 5° | 125 | with trochlea lesion: 73 | 58.3 ± 6.8 (43–74) | 25.6 ± 2.7 kg/m2
(19.2–35.5) |
6.9 ± 2 cm2 | 3 Y | VAS, WOMAC, IKDC, and ICRS | with HTO | retrospective cohort | subgroup analysis: age, obesity, lesion size, location, and number of lesions |
| without trochlea lesion: 52 | |||||||||||
| song 2020 (3) [21] | older than 60 years with a kissing lesion of the medial compartment, full-thickness chondral defect ≥ 4 cm2 of MFC, and varus deformity ≥3° | 25 | N/A | 64.9 ± 4.4 (60–76) | 24.9 ± 3.1 kg/m2
(19.2–34.2) |
total: 9.4 ± 3.1 cm2 (5.3–18.9 cm2), MFC: 7.2 ± 1.9 cm2 (4.2–12.8 cm2), and MTC: 2.2 ± 1.1 cm2 (0.2–6.1 cm2) |
26.7 ± 1.8 M (24–31 M) | VAS, WOMAC, IKDC, and ICRS | with HTO | retrospective cohort | with kissing lesion subgroup analysis: age, BMI, and lesion size |
| Lee 2021 [22] | ICRS ≥ 3B with kissing lesion in medial compartment | 74 | BMAC: 42 | 60.7 ± 4.1 | 26.1 ± 2.8 kg/m2 | 6.5 ± 2.9 cm2 | 20.7 ± 6.1 M | HSS, WOMAC, KSS, and ICRS | with HTO | retrospective cohort | with kissing lesion |
| hUCB-MSC: 32 | 58.1 ± 3.6 | 26.6 ± 3.0 kg/m2 | 7.0 ± 1.9 cm2 | 15.6 ± 2.8 M | |||||||
| Ryu 2022 [20] | KL grade ≤ 2, ICRS IV, older than 15 years, and lesion size 2–10 cm2 (BMAC 15–50 yrs) | 52 | BMAC: 25 | 39.64 ± 9.83 | 26.19 ± 3.74 kg/m2 | 4.33 ± 1.66 cm2 | VAS, IKDC, KOOS, and MOCART | 5 pts with HTO | retrospective cohort | subgroup analysis based on age (45 yrs) | |
| hUCB-MSC: 27 | 53.93 ± 8.6 | 26.38 ± 3.54 kg/m2 | 4.77 ± 1.81 cm2 | 2 Y | 8 pts with HTO | ||||||
| Lim 2021 [17] | aged > 18 years, full-thickness chondral defect 2–9 cm2, ICRS 4, and KL grade 1–3 | 89 | hUCB-MSC: 43 | 55.3 ± 8.9 | 25.7 ± 2.8 kg/m2 | 4.9 ± 2.0 cm2 | 2 Y | VAS, IKDC, WOMAC, and ICRS | without HTO | extended study after RCT | subgroup analysis: age, lesion size |
| microfracture: 46 | 54.4 ± 10.8 | 26.7 ± 3.9 kg/m2 | 4.0 ± 1.8 cm2 | 2 Y | |||||||
| numbers of patients (extended follow-up data after RCT) | 73 | hUCB-MSC: 36 | 36 M: 33 (3 loss) | 48 M: 28 (4 loss, 3 withdrew consent, and 1 AE) |
60 M: 29 (3 loss, 3 withdrew consent, and 1 AE) |
5 Y | |||||
| microfracture: 37 | 36 M: 36 (1 loss) | 48 M: 30 (6 withdrew consent, 1 reintervention) |
60 M: 28 (7 withdrew consent, 2 reintervention) |
5 Y | |||||||
BMI = body mass index, SD = standard deviation, HTO = high tibial osteotomy, ICRS = International Cartilage Repair Society, KL = Kellgren Lawrence, MFC = medial femoral condyle, RCT = randomized controlled trial, Y = year, M = month, hUCB-MSC = human umbilical cord blood derived mesenchymal stem cell, BMAC = bone marrow aspiration concentrate, IKDC = International Knee Documentation Committee score, WOMAC = Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, VAS = visual analogue scale, KSS = Knee Society score, HSS = Hospital for Special Surgery, KOOS = Knee Osteoarthritis Outcome score, MOCART = Magnetic Resonance Observation of Cartilage Repair Tissue.