Removal of a retained Herbert-Whipple screw with use of the Osteochondral Autograft Transfer System (OATS) core harvester: a case report.

After a revision procedure is performed to address a full-thickness chondral defect of the knee, hardware removal can be challenging. We describe using a core harvester, the Osteochondral Autograft Transfer System (OATS; Arthrex, Naples, Fla), to remove a Herbert-Whipple screw placed earlier in a failed attempt to fix an osteochondritis dissecans lesion on the lateral aspect of the medial femoral condyle. This hardware removal technique can be performed either arthroscopically or in an open fashion and may also be used with other revision procedures (ie, revision anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction) in which an embedded, poorly visualized, or stripped screw must be removed.