Patent ID: 7632311

Claim:
A method for the repair of damaged cartilage present at or on the surface of bone in an animal, including a human being, the method comprising: forming a narrow groove around at least part of said damaged cartilage using a cutting tool, the groove extending below the damaged cartilage and into the bone; removing the damaged cartilage within the region defined by the groove to form a cavity in the cartilage present on the surface of the bone, the narrow groove extending from the cavity into the bone; inserting a bio-compatible replacement pad in the cavity from where the damaged cartilage has been removed, the pad configured to encourage cell in-growth at the repair site; retaining the bio-compatible replacement pad in the cavity using an array of elongate connecting portions attached to or near the perimeter of said pad, said connecting portions extending away from the general plane of said pad at or near the perimeter of said pad in a direction towards a retaining element to provide a connection between said retaining element and said pad, each of said connecting portions connected to the retaining element and spaced apart from each other between the retaining element and the pad to allow tissue in-growth at the groove; anchoring the bio-compatible replacement pad in said cavity by sliding said retaining element depthwise into the groove to a depth into the bone underlying said cavity to apply a downward pulling force to said connecting portions to locate and anchor said pad in said cavity; delivering the pad, the retaining element and the connection portions to their anchored positions using an implant delivery device on which the pad, retaining element and connecting portions are preassembled; anchoring the retaining element and pad in position by sliding the retaining element depthwise into the groove using the delivery device via a single insertion and withdrawal movement of the delivery device such that all of the retaining element is anchored in the groove at a depth of the underlying bone and is spaced apart from the pad in anchored position by a depth of the groove; wherein the retaining element is anchored in position within the groove initially by the frictional contact between the retaining element and the side walls of the groove defined by the surrounding bone; wherein the retaining element is slid depthwise from the region of the cavity to the underlying bone in the same orientation in which the retaining element is anchored in position at the bone relative to the pad and is preformed to have a shape corresponding generally with at least a part of the shape of the groove, from a plan view; wherein said retaining element is spaced apart from the pad in anchored position by a length of said connecting portions located in said groove, the space between the retaining element and the pad being provided for bone ingrowth over the retaining element and the connecting portions.