AbstrAct Articular cartilage injuries of the knee have been increasingly identiied as a cause of functionally limiting injuries, especially in athletes. Although a numerous of conservative and surgical treatment modalities have been developed to facilitate the return to pre- injury level of participation, as yet no gold standard exists for the treatment of articular cartilage injuries in high-performance professional athletes. Certain common treatment principles such as earlier diagnosis, shorter duration of preoperative symptoms, smaller lesions, younger age of athlete and intensive, cautious and individualized rehabilitation before return to play are all advantageous prog- nostically. Knee Cartilage Lesions Management in Professional Athletes Alberto Gobbi, MD, Georgios Karnatzikos, MD, Dnyanesh Lad, MD O.A.S.I. Bioresearch Foundation, Gobbi NPO, Milan - Italy Opening photo: Gianmaria Zanotti Cartilage Lesions