An osteophyte is an outgrowth of bone.

Looks like there is damage above the patella and to the underlying cartilage tissue. What type of surgery do they want to do?

hello there and thanks for your time"the knee cap issue requires lasering to make it smooth,and the bone growth issue is more of a explore and decide as damage severity is unknown,the surgeon basically told me that i have an"awfull knee"when i asked him the bottom line.Im 34 and a carpenter and have played golf for 23 year so obviously quite shocked but my job and hobby appear to have taken thier toll.
when i got home last night i was on the internet for hours,this is where i found this forum but other info i found suggested that this kind of damage normally leads to joint replacment and most of the people were in there 50s and 60s.any more info appreciated.

Well knee injuries are fairly common. I know a few people that have had a couple because of their weight-bearing activities.

It appears that they will do an arthroscopic examination to analyse the severity before surgery? And perhaps undergo the surgical procedure at that time.

The prevalence of people in their 50s and 60s getting joint line replacement is probably as a result of older persons getting osteoarthritis and other associated degenerative joint diseases. However, other factors such as occupation, as you indicated, may cause abnormal bone growth especially if you are working bending your knees or kneeling.

Hope that helps a bit.

so is this ostoearthritis in an early stage?

No, most likely it is calcification or abnormal ossification - a piece of bone formed outside of its normal anatomy.