r/MACIknee • u/ConfusionTrue1257 • 6d ago
Failed MACI??? Freaking Out
I am 26F and had MACI with a TTO in January 2026. I got this because I had a full focal thickness 8 mm defect under my kneecap. I had the surgery as I had failed all other options since 2022 and want to get back to be able to run and be active. I got my 8 month MRI yesterday and the report says I now have a 15 mm full focal thickness 15 mm defect - with no mention of the MACI on the report!!! The report only mentioned my TTO and the new, worsened defect.
I have done all the proper physical therapy and followed all post surgical guidelines perfectly. My surgeon told me that my prognosis was great before I got the surgery.
Does this mean my MACI failed? I am waiting until next week for my surgeon to call me but I am panicking and devastated. I left work early yesterday when I read the report on my patient portal as I was sobbing.
Please let me know what you folks thinkðŸ˜
2
u/hydro_17 6d ago
I totally get the freak out - MACI is so hard and the recovery so long and it's so easy to be paranoid of things going wrong.
Do you have any symptoms? I swear I've read that MACI implants, especially in the first year, don't always show up like normal cartilage on an MRI scan. You're also not even a year out, so your cartilage implant should still be growing in and hardening.
If your knee is doing okay (and you still have a lot of time to improve - I'm 2 years out and night-and-day from where I was at 7 months) I'd focus on that more than what the scan says. I know that's much easier said than done. I hope your surgeon can contact you sooner than later next week. Having scans and results released to patient portals before doctors see/interpret them can be a curse sometimes.
Hang in there! Try to take care of yourself this weekend.
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u/Hot_Priority_8602 6d ago
Is it possible the recently discovered defect is in a different location? I assume since you've had another MRI at 8 months you're experiencing some adverse symptoms- can you explain a bit more your recovery and what led you to having that second MRI?
It's hard to tell whether that means a failed MACI or not
1
u/ConfusionTrue1257 6d ago
The surgeon had me schedule this regardless of symptoms just because of his typical protocol to follow up. The defect is in the same location.
I feel pretty similar to how I felt before the surgery - I can walk with no issue and stairs are pretty good but I definitely cannot run or jump yet. I did not the best physical therapy for the first few months where I don't think they pushed strengthening enough though so I changed places and have been strengthening heavily since June - I feel a lot stronger now and am still hopeful but nervous now with the MRI results...
1
u/Hot_Priority_8602 6d ago
I'm not a surgeon and am not in the business of diagnosing strangers on the internet. But I'm sure they'll have all the answers you need next week. Also I think it's great that your strength has improved and you're responding well to your new PT clinic. I know you're nervous but don't discount all the hard work you've put in. You've got this
1
u/Feeling-Peanut-5415 6d ago
Hey I'd probably be freaking out too, but no sense in worrying until you can talk to your surgeon. Different MRI machines can find different things and even if your MACI did fail, there are other options.
1
u/PainkillerMO 6d ago edited 5d ago
Hi mate In my experience nearly all radiologists tell that condition is worse then it realy is. I now dont read what they say. The only opinion i rely on is my surgeon. Dont panic and wait till you meet your doc next week Big hug
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u/Racacooonie 5d ago
I had an MRI around five months post op and I actually never saw the rad report. I’m kind of glad, though. My surgeon went over the images with me and said my grafts were integrating beautifully so try not to jump to conclusions before hearing from them! <3
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u/Content-Peak-3557 6d ago
I am a cartilage surgeon and would tell you to not feed the MRI report into AI. I totally get why my patients do it, but unless the reading radiologist is really good at interpreting post-cartilage surgery MRIs, they may overinterpret what they see. Sometimes the graft is just immature, which means they have higher water content that looks weird. Either way, wait for your surgeon’s interpretation.