Subscribe to our newsletter. A mosaic graft is a procedure that uses that patient's own healthy cartilage to replace damaged areas of cartilage. To date, mosaic grafts have only been used in the knee joint.
Cartilage covers the joint areas where two bones contact each other.
However, areas of cartilage also cover some non-contact points. This cartilage can be removed from the non weight-bearing surfaces. Corresponding holes are drilled in the damaged area to remove the unhealthy cartilage and replaced with the plugs. This gives the appearance of a mosaic. Unfortunately, this procedure can only be used for areas of limited damage such as is seen in osteochondritis dissecans, and not widespread cartilage damage typical of osteoarthritis.