No Difference in Outcomes Following Osteochondral Allograft with Fresh Precut Cores Compared to Hemi-Condylar Allografts

Objective The purpose of the current study is to evaluate the clinical and radiographic outcomes at early to midterm follow-up between fresh precut cores versus hemi-condylar osteochondral allograft (OCAs) in the treatment of symptomatic osteochondral lesions. Design A retrospective review of patients who underwent an OCA was performed. Patient matching between those with OCA harvested from an allograft condyle/patella or a fresh precut allograft core was performed to generate 2 comparable groups. The cartilage at the graft site was assessed with use of a modified Magnetic Resonance Observation of Cartilage Repair Tissue (MOCART) scoring system and patient-reported outcomes were collected. Results Overall, 52 total patients who underwent OCA with either fresh precut OCA cores ( n = 26) and hemi-condylar OCA ( n = 26) were pair matched at a mean follow-up of 34.0 months (range 12 months to 99 months). The mean ages were 31.5 ± 10.7 for fresh precut cores and 30.9 ± 9.8 for hemi-condylar ( P = 0.673). Males accounted for 36.4% of the overall cohort, and the mean lesion size for fresh precut OCA core was 19.6 mm2 compared to 21.2 mm2 for whole condyle ( P = 0.178). There was no significant difference in patient-reported outcomes including Visual Analogue Scale, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score for Joint Replacement, and Tegner ( P > 0.5 for each), or in MOCART score (69.2 vs. 68.3, P = 0.93). Conclusions This study found that there was no difference in patient-reported clinical outcomes or MOCART scores following OCA implantation using fresh precut OCA cores or size matched condylar grafts at early to midterm follow-up.