Out of a total of 159 cases involving operations on the knee joint, we have operated in thirty-eight cases in which there was injury to the cartilage of the patella. Of these thirty-eight cases, the results in twelve (32 per cent.) may be classified as being exceptionally good; in seventeen (45 per cent.), as good; in seven (18 per cent.), as fair or satisfactory; while in two (5 per cent.), treatment has not been completed.
The best results are obtained from partial resection of the cartilage. The period of treatment, with the resultant inability to work, is reduced to one or two months if functional after-care is maintained. Full functional restoration, with disappearance of the symptoms, is attained in this time. Total resection of the cartilage, followed by plastic covering over with fascia, noticeably protracts the period of healing from two to five months, but it likewise gives good functional results. The type of operation to be preferred is determined by the nature and the extent of the anatomical changes.