To improve the long-term outcomes of high tibial osteotomy (HTO) for gonarthritis, many cartilage repair procedures appeared, but their effects were controversial. To evaluate the efficacy of cartilage repair procedures during HTO for gonarthritis, we performed this update meta-analysis. We performed the system retrieval for clinical trials using various databases and then pooled the outcomes of the included studies. Fifteen studies were involved. The pooled results indicated that there were no significant differences in Kellgren and Lawrence (KL) scale (mean difference [MD] = 0.02, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.01 to 0.06, p = 0.24), the femorotibial angle (MD = 0.06, 95% CI = -0.04 to 0.16, p = 0.22), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) outcomes (MD = 12.53, 95% CI = -2.26 to 27.32, p = 0.10) of patients in experimental group than control. The subgroup analysis showed that the clinical outcomes of abrasion arthroplasty (AA) were worse than control group (standardized mean difference [SMD] -2.65, 95% CI = -3.67 to -1.63, p < 0.001), while mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) injection improved the clinical outcomes (SMD = 2.37, 95% CI = 1.25-3.50, p < 0.001). There were significant differences between the two groups in arthroscopic (SMD = 1.38, 95% CI = 0.82-1.94, p < 0.001) and histologic results (relative risk [RR] = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.36-2.29, p < 0.001). The pain relief (MD = 0.17, 95% CI = -3.26 to 3.61, p = 0.92) and operative complications (RR = 1.42, 95% CI = 0.83-2.42; p = 0.19) of the two groups had no significant differences. Our analysis supports that concurrent cartilage repair procedures might improve arthroscopic and histologic outcomes, but they have no beneficial effect on clinical outcomes, radiograph, MRI, and pain relief. The concurrent procedures do not increase the risk of operative complication. Furthermore, MSC has some beneficial effects on clinical outcomes, while AA might play an opposite role.
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