Particulated Juvenile Articular Cartilage Allograft Transplantation for Osteochondral Lesions of the Talus

Osteochondral lesions of the talus present a formidable treatment challenge to the orthopedic surgeon. This explains the multitude of treatment options described for this pathology. Currently, in the United States, surgical treatment options for symptomatic lesions are: debridement; marrow stimulation including drilling, microfracture, and abrasion arthroplasty; osteochondral autograft transfer; fresh osteochondral allograft transplantation; and the recently introduced technique of particulated juvenile cartilage allograft transplantation. The appropriate surgical therapy is based on patient and lesion-specific factors. This article will provide a brief review of these surgical therapies and the technique for particulated juvenile cartilage allograft transplantation.