Outcomes Following Autologous Osteochondral Transplantation for Osteochondral Lesions of the Talus at A Minimum of 10-Year Follow-Up: A Retrospective Review

Category: Ankle; Sports Introduction/Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate outcomes following autologous osteochondral transplantation (AOT) for the treatment of osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLT) at a minimum of 10-year follow-up. Methods: Retrospective chart review identified patients who underwent AOT for the treatment of OLT. Pre-operative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were obtained in all patients. Clinical outcomes assessed included: pre- and post-operative foot and ankle outcome score (FAOS), visual analog scale (VAS), patient satisfaction, complications, failures and secondary surgical procedures. Results: Thirty-nine patients with a mean lesion size was 122.3±64.1 mm 2 and mean follow-up time of 138.9±16.9months were included. The mean FAOS scores improved from a preoperative score of 51.9±16.0 to 75.3±21.9 (p < 0.001). Increasing lesion size was variable associated with inferior FAOS scores (R2=0.2228). There was statistically significant higher mean T2 relaxation values at the superficial layer at the site of the AOT graft (42.9±5.2ms) compared to the superficial layer of the adjacent native cartilage (35.8±3.8ms) (p < 0.001). Seventeen complications (43.6%) were observed, the most common of which was anterior ankle impingement (25.6%). There were 2 failures (5.1%), both of which had a history of prior bone marrow stimulation via microfracture and post-operative cysts identified on MRI. Conclusion: This retrospective review found that AOT for the treatment of large OLTs produced a 94.9% survival rate at a minimum of 10-year follow-up. Increasing lesion size was associated with inferior clinical outcomes. The findings of this study indicates that AOT is a viable long-term surgical strategy for the treatment of large OLTs.