In simple words: The surgeon uses a small camera (arthroscope) inserted through tiny incisions in your knee to repair damaged cartilage. Healthy cartilage is taken from another part of your knee and used to replace the damaged area, like creating a mosaic.

This code describes a surgical procedure where an arthroscope is used to visualize the inside of the knee joint. During the procedure, the surgeon harvests healthy cartilage and subchondral bone from a non-weightbearing area of the knee and transplants it to the damaged area. This technique is often referred to as mosaicplasty.

Example 1: A patient with a localized area of damaged cartilage on the femoral condyle undergoes arthroscopic mosaicplasty to repair the defect and alleviate pain., Following a traumatic knee injury, a patient has a focal cartilage lesion. The surgeon performs 29866 to harvest and transplant osteochondral autografts to promote healing and restore joint function., An athlete with a symptomatic osteochondral defect on the patella undergoes arthroscopic mosaicplasty using autologous osteochondral plugs to resurface the damaged area.

Documentation should include details of the size and location of the cartilage defect, the number and size of osteochondral grafts harvested and implanted, and any concomitant procedures performed. Operative reports and diagnostic imaging (MRI, X-ray) are essential.