Patellar osteochondral lesions are common and particularly disabling injuries that can patients of all ages.  For those that have a full thickness, focal patella (kneecap) cartilage lesion, my cartilage restoration procedure of choice is a fresh osteochondral patella allograft.  This has both bone and fresh cartilage for transplantation and helps reconstruct the unique aspects of knee cartilage defects – particularly the fact that the kneecap (patella) has the thickest cartilage in the body (between 4-6mm) and can be used to anatomically restore this thick cartilage from prior defect. This is my preferred technique for an alternative surgical treatment option for this pathology utilizing an osteochondral allograft transplant procedure to treat a focal patellar osteochondral lesion.