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DOI: 10.5312/wjo.v8.i1.12
World J Orthop 2017 January 18; 8(1): 12-20
ISSN 2218-5836 (online)
© 2017 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
MINIREVIEWS
Current management of talar osteochondral lesions
Arianna L Gianakos, Youichi Yasui, Charles P Hannon, John G Kennedy
nd
Arianna L Gianakos, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, 2
Jersey City Medical Center, Jersey City, NJ 07302, United States
Received: June 16, 2016
Peer-review started: June 17, 2016
First decision: July 27, 2016
Revised: September 12, 2016
Accepted: October 17, 2016
Article in press: October 18, 2016
Published online: January 18, 2017
Arianna L Gianakos, Youichi Yasui, Charles P Hannon, John
G Kennedy, Department of Foot and Ankle, Hospital for Special
Surgery, New York, NY 10021, United States
nd
Youichi Yasui, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, 2 Teikyo
University School of Medicine, Tokyo 173-8606, Japan
nd
Charles P Hannon, 2 Department of Orthopaedic Surgery,
Rush University Medical Center (C.P.H.), Chicago, IL 60612,
United States
Abstract
Osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLT) occur in up
to 70% of acute ankle sprains and fractures. OLT have
become increasingly recognized with the advancements
in cartilage-sensitive diagnostic imaging modalities.
Although OLT may be treated nonoperatively, a number
of surgical techniques have been described for patients
whom surgery is indicated. Traditionally, treatment
of symptomatic OLT have included either reparative
procedures, such as bone marrow stimulation (BMS),
or replacement procedures, such as autologous osteochondral transplantation (AOT). Reparative procedures
2
are generally indicated for OLT < 150 mm in area.
Replacement strategies are used for large lesions or
after failed primary repair procedures. Although shortand medium-term results have been reported, longterm studies on OLT treatment strategies are lacking.
Biological augmentation including platelet-rich plasma
and concentrated bone marrow aspirate is becoming
increasingly popular for the treatment of OLT to
enhance the biological environment during healing. In
this review, we describe the most up-to-date clinical
evidence of surgical outcomes, as well as both the
mechanical and biological concerns associated with
BMS and AOT. In addition, we will review the recent
evidence for biological adjunct therapies that aim to
improve outcomes and longevity of both BMS and AOT
procedures.
Author contributions: All authors equally contributed to this
paper with conception and design of the study, literature review
and analysis, drafting and critical revision and editing, and final
approval of the final version.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Kennedy JG is a consultant
for Arteriocyte, Inc.; Kennedy JG has received research support
from the Ohnell Family Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Michael J
Levitt, and Arteriocyte Inc.; Kennedy JG is a board member for
the European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery, and
Arthroscopy, International Society for Cartilage Repair of the
Ankle, American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society Awards
and Scholarships Committee, International Cartilage Repair
Society finance board.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was
selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external
reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative
Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license,
which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this
work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on
different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and
the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Manuscript source: Invited manuscript
Correspondence to: John G Kennedy, MD, MCh, MMSc,
FRCS (Orth), Department of Foot and Ankle, Hospital for
Special Surgery, 523 East 72nd Street, Suite 507, New York, NY
10021, United States.
[email protected]
Telephone: +1-646-7978880
Fax: +1-646-797896
WJO|www.wjgnet.com
Key words: Osteochondral lesions of talus; Comprehensive review; Diagnosis; Bone marrow stimulation;
Autologous autograft transfer; Biologics
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January 18, 2017|Volume 8|Issue 1|
Gianakos AL et al . Current management of talar osteochondral lesions
© The Author(s) 2017. Published by Baishideng Publishing
Group Inc. All rights reserved.
CLINICAL PRESENTATION AND
DIAGNOSIS
Core tip: Osteochondral lesions of the talus are often
missed after acute ankle sprains and fractures. Magnetic
resonance imaging is most sensitive in diagnosing these
injuries. Bone marrow stimulation (BMS) is effective for
2
lesions < 150 mm in area, but replacement procedures
such as autologous osteochondral transplantation or
allografts may be required for larger lesions or if BMS
fails. Long term studies should attempt to determine the
most effective treatment strategy and the critical defect
strategy beyond which BMS will not work.
Most OLT are a sequelae of ankle injuries. Unfortunately,
there are no specific physical examination findings that
can accurately assess and diagnose OLT, and up to 50%
[7]
of patients have missed OLT on plain radiographs . It is
therefore important to have a high level of suspicion of
OLT in patients who have persistent ankle joint pain and
a history of ankle injuries.
Patients with OLT frequently present with nonspecific chronic ankle pain. Associated symptoms may
also include generalized ankle swelling, stiffness, and
weakness, which is often exacerbated by prolonged
[2]
weight-bearing or high impact activities . In the physical
examination, a patient’s complaint of tenderness or pain
may be poorly localized and may not correspond with
[8]
the location of the OLT . Examiners should perform
both anterior drawer and standard inversion maneuvers
to detect concomitant lateral ankle instability, and they
should also assess hindfoot malalignment, joint flexibility,
and joint laxity.
Anteroposterior, mortise, and lateral ankle weightbearing radiographs are useful when assessing joint
alignment and other coexisting abnormalities such
as osteophytes and loose bodies. However, more
advanced imaging is often recommended, since plain
radiographs have been shown to miss up to 50% of
[9]
OLT . Computed tomography (CT) has excellent ability
to detect OLT, accounting for 0.81 sensitivity and 0.99
[7]
specificity . Although CT is useful in obtaining detail
about bony injury including the condition of SCB,
concomitant osteophytes, and loose bodies, it lacks
the ability to assess the cartilage compartment of OLT.
MRI is the recommended imaging diagnostic modality,
[7]
with 0.96 sensitivity and 0.96 specificity . MRI is
advantageous in that it can show both osseous and
soft tissue pathologies that are frequently associated
in OLT. Although several scoring systems based on the
[10-15]
MRI have been developed for grading of OLT
, it
is unclear whether any classification can direct clinical
[11]
decision making. Research by Ferkel et al showed little
correlation between MRI grading and clinical outcomes.
[12]
In a prospective study of 120 ankles, Choi et al
also
found no correlation between any radiological grading
and clinical outcome.
Gianakos AL, Yasui Y, Hannon CP, Kennedy JG. Current
management of talar osteochondral lesions. World J Orthop
2017; 8(1): 12-20 Available from: URL: http://www.wjgnet.
com/2218-5836/full/v8/i1/12.htm DOI: http://dx.doi.org/
10.5312/wjo.v8.i1.12
INTRODUCTION
Osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLT) can occur in up
[1]
to 70% of acute ankle sprains and fractures . OLT have
become increasingly recognized with the advancements
in cartilage-sensitive diagnostic imaging modalities such
as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These lesions
typically involve a component of the articular surface
[2]
and/or subchondral bone (SCB) . Although trauma is
the primary etiology, non-traumatic causes have been
reported including congenital factors, ligamentous
laxity, spontaneous necrosis, steroid treatment, embolic
[2,3]
disease, and endocrine abnormalities .
[4]
A systematic review by Zengerink et al demonstrated that up to 50% of patients failed to resolve their
symptoms by conservative treatment. Traditionally,
treatment of symptomatic OLT have included either
reparative or replacement surgical procedures. Typically,
the decision to repair or replace is based primarily
on lesion size. Reparative procedures, including bone
marrow stimulation (BMS), are generally indicated for
2
[5]
OLT < 15 mm in a diameter or 150 mm in area .
Replacement strategies, such as osteochondral autologous transplantation (AOT), are used for large lesions
[6]
or failed primary repair procedures . Although previous
clinical literature has demonstrated good to excellent
short- and mid-term clinical outcomes, there has been
an increase in the concerns regarding the methodological
quality of previous clinical studies and deterioration of the
ankle joint following surgical interventions.
In this review, we describe the most up-to-date
clinical evidence of surgical outcomes, as well as increasing concerns associated with BMS and AOT. In addition,
we will review the recent evidence for biological adjunct
therapies that have been used to improve outcomes and
longevity of both BMS and AOT.
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TREATMENT
Conservative treatment
Non-operative treatment strategies in asymptomatic
patients can include rest and/or restriction of activities
along with the use of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
[4]
[4]
drug . A systematic review by Zengerink et al
reported that 45% of patients reported successful
outcomes when treated with conservative treatment
consisting of weight-bearing as tolerated. The authors
also demonstrated that 53% of patients who underwent
13
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Gianakos AL et al . Current management of talar osteochondral lesions
A
B
C
D
Figure 1 Arthroscopic images of osteochondral lesions of the talus. A: Osteochondral lesion of the talus identified arthroscopically; B: Frayed or fibrillated
cartilage is curretted out; C: Subchondral plate is violated with microfracture pick; D: After the subchondral bone plate is violated, bleeding occurs beginning the
healing response.
While lesion size has been identified as the primary
prognostic indicator affecting outcomes after BMS,
several other prognostic factors have also been
[5]
identified. Chuckpaiwong et al reported that almost
all patients in their series with OLT greater than 15
mm in diameter failed BMS (96.7%; 31/32) while the
other patients with lesions less than 15 mm in diameter
[12]
had 100% success. Choi et al
demonstrated a risk
2
of failure with lesions greater than 150 mm on MRI.
Another important prognostic factor is containment
[18]
(shoulder vs non-shoulder type) of OLT. Choi et al
demonstrated that patients with shoulder-type OLT
were more likely to have a worse clinical outcome
than non-shoulder lesions. Because of the nature of
BMS, subchondral bone cyst may affect the outcomes.
[19]
To address this, Lee et al
performed a randomized
control study and found that there were no significant
differences in clinical outcomes between patients in the
subchondral cyst group and those patients treated with
no subchondral cyst component. However, the longevity
of these outcomes is of concern due to the lack of
mechanical and biological function of SCB required for
[20]
robust cartilage repair .
Several clinical studies have demonstrated that
nearly 85% of patients undergoing BMS report good to
[4,21]
excellent clinical short- and mid-term outcomes
. van
[22]
Bergen et al
evaluated long term clinical outcomes
in 50 patients with at a mean follow-up of 141 mo and
reported a mean American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle
Society (AOFAS) score of 88 out of 100 possible points.
cast immobilization for at least 3 wk up to 4 mo reported
successful clinical outcomes. However, success was
determined based on symptomatic complaint rather
than on the physiological healing of the OLT. In addition,
the long-term outcome of these treatment strategies
has yet to be established. Recent clinical studies have
revealed that OLT of the ankle joint have higher levels
of intra-articular inflammatory cytokines than normal
ankle joint which may lead to progressive deterioration
[16]
of global, as well as focal lesions over time .
Operative treatment
There are two basic techniques for operative treatment
for OLT: Reparative including BMS and replacement
procedures including AOT. The decision to either proceed
with BMS or AOT is primarily determined by lesion
size. Traditionally, lesions of smaller sizes (< 15 mm in
2
diameter or < 150 mm in area) are treated with BMS,
[6]
while larger lesions are treated with AOT . In addition,
there has been recent evidence recommending AOT for
[17]
patients who previously failed BMS .
BMS
BMS is a reparative procedure that aims to stimulate
the release of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from the
SCB marrow to infill fibrocartilage in the defect. In BMS,
unstable cartilage, the calcified layer, and necrotic bone
are debrided arthroscopically. A microfracture pick or
small diameter drill is then used to penetrate the SCB
plate (Figure 1).
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January 18, 2017|Volume 8|Issue 1|
Gianakos AL et al . Current management of talar osteochondral lesions
[23]
Polat et al
demonstrated that out of 82 patients
treated with BMS, 42.6% of patients had no symptoms
and 23.1% of patients had pain after walking more
than 2 h or after competitive sports activities at a mean
follow-up of 121.3 mo.
Despite successful outcomes following BMS for
OLT, there have been numerous studies demonstrating
cause for concerns including the quality of the studies
reporting positive outcomes, mechanical concerns
regarding the fibrocartilage repair tissue, and long-term
[21]
deteriorating clinical outcomes . A systematic review
[24]
by Hannon et al
found gross inconsistencies and an
underreporting of data in the included 24 clinical studies
that report clinical outcomes after BMS for OLT. The
authors found that only 46% of clinical studies reported
the lesion size and only 25% performed postoperative
radiological evaluation. Therefore, the authors concluded
that there is not enough data in the current literature to
[24]
accurately assess the outcome of BMS .
Deterioration of reparative fibrocartilage quality
has been reported in up to 35% of patients within the
first five years of BMS, and only 30% of patients who
received BMS have integration of the repair tissue
with the surrounding native cartilage at second look
[11,14]
[25]
arthroscopy 12 mo postoperatively
. Becher et al
also demonstrated that although tissue regenerated
at the site of microfracture, it was neither intact not
[12]
homogeneous. In a series of 120 ankles, Choi et al
has shown deterioration of clinical success rate over
time following BMS.
There are numerous factors that may play a role
in affecting the durability of the repair tissue following
BMS. There is an increased awareness that impairment
of SCB following BMS may be a cause of deterioration.
Anatomically, the SCB is located under the articular
cartilage offering biomechanical and biological support
[26,27]
for overlying articular cartilage
. During BMS, there
is gross destruction of cross-talk between the SCB plate
and the articular cartilage. This destruction is a result
of the surgical trauma and compaction of the SCB plate
that occurs with penetration of either a microfracture
[27]
pic or drilling . In the sheep osteochondral lesion
[28]
model, Orth et al revealed that the SCB plate was not
restored at 6 mo after BMS. This finding was supported
[29]
in the human ankle by Reilingh et al
which revealed
that the SCB were not filled completely in 78.6% (44
of 58) OLT at 1 year after BMS. This inevitable trauma
to the SCB may be limited by using a small diameter
microfracture pic rather than drilling or using larger
[27]
diameter conventional microfracture pics .
Mechanical and biological insufficiency may be part
of the reasons for deterioration of fibrocartilage. Marrow
stimulating techniques attempt to fill talar lesions with
precursor cells and cytokines, resulting in a fibrin clot
that will ultimately lead to fibrocartilaginous type-1
[10,24]
collagen formation
. This cartilage consists of collagen that has different biomechanical properties than the
native hyaline cartilage containing type-II collagen. It
has been demonstrated that fibrocartilage has inferior
WJO|www.wjgnet.com
stiffness, resilience, and wear properties and therefore is
[30,31]
at risk of degeneration
.
AOT
AOT replaces cartilage by transplanting a cylindrical
osteochondral graft from a non weightbearing portion
of the knee into a defect site on the talus (Figure 2).
AOT is indicated in patients with lesion sizes greater
2
than 15 mm in diameter or 150 mm , or in cases of
[4,6]
[32]
failed previous BMS . Kim et al reported prognostic
factors affecting outcomes of AOT and found that patient
age, sex, body mass index, duration of symptoms,
location of OLT, and the existence of a subchondral cyst
did not significantly influence clinical outcomes of AOT.
[33]
By Haleem et al
reported that the size of the OLT is
also not a significant predictor of outcomes and multiple
grafts may be used without adversely affecting the
outcome.
Several studies have reported good clinical outcomes
following AOT at both short- and mid-term follow-up. A
case series on 85 patients who underwent AOT found
improved Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS) at
47.2 mo follow-up and improved Magnetic Resonance
Observation of Cartilage Repair Tissue (MOCART) scores
[34]
post-operatively at 24.8 mo follow-up . One study
[33]
by Haleem et al
compared clinical and radiological
MRI outcomes of OLT treated by single-plug vs doubleplug AOT at 5-year follow-up. They found treatment
with double-plug AOT did not show inferior clinical or
radiological outcomes when compared to single-plug
AOT in the intermediate term. Good outcomes are not
limited to the general population only, and excellent
outcomes have been reported in the athletic population
[35]
at midterm follow-up. Fraser et al reported improved
AOFAS scores and found at final follow up of 24 mo,
90% of professional athletes and 87% of recreational
athletes were able to return to pre-injury activity levels.
Despite its apparent success and favorable short- and
medium-term outcome profile, there has been no study
to our knowledge that has described long-term (10+
years) outcomes after AOT.
AOT outcome studies however should be evaluated
[24]
carefully. Hannon et al
showed that outcomes and
clinical variables were reported in less than 73%
and 67% of studies respectively. Therefore, the data
between studies reported have been incongruent and
limit cross sectional comparison
AOT has good clinical outcomes, but there are
some mechanical concerns with the procedure such as
formation of post-operative cysts, morbidity associated
with accessing the ankle joint through osteotomies, and
pressures on the graft due to malalignment. It has been
suggested that biomechanical success may be limited by
[36]
the alignment of the graft. Fansa et al demonstrated
increased contact pressure on the graft surface by 7-fold
with a 1.0 mm of graft protrusion above the level of
the native cartilage. Other mechanical considerations
have also been an area of concern with AOT. The use of
a medial malleolar osteotomy has raised concerns for
15
January 18, 2017|Volume 8|Issue 1|
Gianakos AL et al . Current management of talar osteochondral lesions
A
B
C
D
Figure 2 Autologous osteochondral transplantation procedure. A: Medial exposure of the talus; B: Preparation of the defect site; C: Insertion of cylindrical
osteochondral plug into the prepared osteochondral lesions of the talus defect site; D: Exposure of the medial talus via the chevron-type medial malleolar osteotomy.
increasing the risk of mal/non-union. However, current
evidence suggests adequate osteotomy, both medially
and laterally, as well as cartilaginous healing in the short[37]
to mid-term follow-up. Lamb et al
demonstrated
that a Chevron-type medial malleolar osteotomy had
overall improved healing and fixation, with evidence
of fibrocartilaginous tissue present at the superficial
osteotomy interface. In addition, at a mean follow-up of
[38]
64 mo, a retrospective case series by Gianakos et al
demonstrated that an anterolateral tibial osteotomy
resulted in T2 mapping relaxation times similar to both
superficial and deep interfaces of the native cartilage and
had overall improved FAOS and MOCART scores and.
However, it is known that ankle fractures may cause
activation of intra-articular inflammatory cytokines,
which may lead to progressive deterioration of OLT over
time, and this may theoretically occur with malleolar
[16]
osteotomy . There have been reports demonstrating
the potential of poor integration of the AOT surface
with the native tissue, cyst formation around the graft
site, and deterioration of the graft cartilage as potential
consequences following AOT procedure. However, a
[39]
case series by Savage-Elliott et al demonstrated that
although increasing age was related to increased cyst
prevalence, the clinical impact of cyst formation was not
found to be significant at a mean short-term follow up of
15 mo after surgery.
Lastly, concerns over donor site morbidity have
[40]
gained increasing attention. Valderrabano et al
reported on the outcomes of 12 patients undergoing
AOT, of whom 50% experienced donor site morbidity
with all patients showing MRI signs of cartilage change,
joint space narrowing, or cystic changes in untreated
donor sites. These results have been challenged by
[17]
similar reports. Yoon et al found in 22 patients a 9%
early donor site morbidity with 100% resolution at 48
[41]
mo follow-up. Fraser et al
performed a retrospective
analysis on 39 patients who underwent AOT and
reported that at 24 mo follow-up, donor site morbidity
was present in only 5% of patients and that Lysholm
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scores were at 99.4 for the entire cohort. Therefore,
OLT treated with AOT can have a low incidence of donor
site morbidity with good functional outcomes.
Although the overall success of AOT for OLT may
be limited by a combination of factors, evidence in the
literature suggests that AOT is effective short- and midterm follow-up, particularly for large lesions that may
not be managed by other forms of treatment.
Osteochondral allograft transplantation
Osteochondral allograft transplantation is a technique
that has been employed for the treatment of OLT and
involves replacing defects in bone and articular cartilage
[42]
with cadaveric donor specimens . Some surgeons
prefer this procedure over AOT because it avoids donor
[24]
site morbidity . Although frozen grafts may be used,
the decline in the viability of chondrocytes within the
graft tissue has led to an increase in the use of fresh
allografts.
Reported success rates are highly variable within
[43]
the literature. El-Rashidy et al
performed one of the
largest studies published on patients who received small
cylindrical allografts and reported positive outcomes
in 28 of 38 patients at a mean follow-up of 37.7 mo.
[44]
Raikin evaluated patients who received bulk allografts
and demonstrated improved AOFAS scores in 15
patients at a mean follow-up of 44 mo. Lastly, Haene et
[45]
al reported in a case series that only ten of 17 cases
who underwent allograft transplantation had good or
excellent results at an average follow-up of 4.1 years.
Although clinical evidence suggests osteochondral
allograft transplantation to be effective in the treatment
of larger OLT, this evidence is limited as it consists
primarily of case series with reported variable success
rates.
Autologous chondrocyte implantation
Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) is a cellbased, two-stage procedure that can be used as an
alternative to osteochondral grafting techniques.
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January 18, 2017|Volume 8|Issue 1|
Gianakos AL et al . Current management of talar osteochondral lesions
[55]
This technique involves harvesting healthy articular
cartilage for chondrocyte cultures, which are grown for
[46]
approximately 30 d . These cultures are implanted
into the defect site. The aim of ACI is to promote the
development of hyaline-like repair tissue. ACI is typically
indicated for full-thickness cartilage defects with an
intact SCB plate with stable edges of the surrounding
[47]
cartilage .
[48]
A systematic review by Harris et al
analyzed 82
studies (5276 subjects; 6080 defects) and reported a
low failure rate of 1.5%-7.7% following ACI in the knee.
Similar outcomes have been shown in the ankle. A meta[49]
analysis by Niemeyer et al reported a clinical success
rate of 89.9% in 213 patients following ACI. Gobbi et
[50]
al
reported no difference in AOFAS scores following
chondroplasty, microfracture, and AOT. Disadvantages of
ACI include the cost of culturing hyaline cells, the need
for two surgical procedures, hypertrophy of the graft and
[2]
the durability of the graft .
Although many studies have published promising
results, the available evidence to date is of poor quality
due to the level of evidence, low patient number, and
[47]
use of variable outcome parameters . Therefore,
randomized clinical trials are necessary to determine
the superiority of ACI over other more established
techniques.
human-MSC proliferation and promote tissue healing .
There has been evidence in the literature that demonstrates positive effects of PRP on cartilage repair. Smyth
[56]
et al
showed in a systematic review that 18 of 21
(85.7%) basic science papers reported positive effects
[57]
of PRP on cartilage repair. Additionally, Smyth et al
found in a rabbit model, that application of PRP at time
of AOT improved the integration of the osteochondral
graft at the cartilage interface and decreased graft
[58]
degeneration. In clinical studies, Guney et al
performed a randomized control trial in 19 OLT patients
and reported that BMS with PRP had better functional
outcomes when compared with BMS alone. Görmeli
[59]
et al
compared the effect of PRP and HA following
BMS for OLT and found at 15.3-mo follow-up, clinical
improvement after PRP with HA when compared to HA
or saline injection alone.
Despite successful reported outcome following PRP
adjuvants, the effect of PRP on OLT is still controversial
because of several concerns. Currently there has been
no proposed standard method for PRP harvesting. There
are a variety of commercially-available centrifugation
systems with various timing protocols and activation
[60]
methods . In addition, plasma contains differing
concentrations of platelets, cells, growth factors, and
cytokine, which are variable even within a single indivi[60]
dual . Several studies have evaluated the anti-inflammatory effects of different leukocyte concentrated PRP
[61,62]
on cartilage repair
. However, to our knowledge,
there has be no study that has investigated the effect of
leukocyte concentration in PRP in the treatment of ankle
OLT. In conclusion, the published literature suggests
that utilizing PRP in the operative treatment for OLT can
improve clinical and functional outcomes. The evidence
for PRP is promising; however, well-designed clinical
trials are necessary to determine its efficacy in the
clinical setting.
Matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implantation
Matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implantation
(MACI) is a second generation of ACI whereby cells
[24]
are embedded into a bioabsorbable matrix . This
membrane is placed over the talar cartilage defect. This
procedure avoids periosteal graft harvesting and allows
[51]
for a more even cell distribution . In addition, a fibrin
sealant can be utilized to secure the defect, reducing
the need for suture fixation.
Evidence in the literature has demonstrated arthroscopic MACI as a safe alternative for the treatment of
OLT with good overall clinical and radiologic results.
[52]
Aurich et al
reported in a case series of 19 patients,
significant improvement in AOFAS clinical scores follow[53]
ing MACI at a mean follow-up of 24 mo. Giannini et al
also reported positive clinical and histologic outcome
scores at 36 mo post-operatively.
Evidence has demonstrated MACI to be a promising
new treatment method for large OLT. Future research
should attempt to compare radiological, clinical, and
histological MACI to conventional treatment.
Concentrated bone marrow aspirate
Concentrated Bone Marrow Aspirate (cBMA) is a blood
product produced by centrifuging bone marrow typically
[63]
aspirated from the iliac crest . cBMA contains a variety
of bioactive cytokines, as well as MSCs, which have
the ability to undergo chondrocyte differentiation. In
addition, most recent studies have shown that cBMA
includes an abundant concentration of interleukin-1
receptor antagonist proteins (IL-1Ra), which are the
[63]
primary anti-inflammatory cytokines .
A few studies have demonstrated the ability of cBMA
to promote the chondrogenic cascade which can be
beneficial in the treatment of osteochondral lesions.
Improved cartilage healing has been demonstrated in
the equine model, with improvements histologically and
radiographically in groups receiving cBMA at the time
[64]
of BMS . In addition, similar results were reported
in a goat model when using BMS combination with
[65]
[66]
cBMA and HA . Clinically, Hannon et al
reported
that mean FAOS improved significantly pre- to post-
BIOLOGIC AUGUMENTATION FOR
CARTILAGE REPAIR
Platelet-rich plasma
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an autologous blood
product that contains at least twice the concentration
of platelets compared to baseline values, or > 1.1 ×
6
[54]
10 platelets/μL . Platelets contain numerous growth
factors and cytokines which have been shown to induce
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Gianakos AL et al . Current management of talar osteochondral lesions
operatively at 48.3 mo in groups receiving cBMA with
BMS. They also demonstrated that groups with cBMA
had improved integration of the repair tissue with MRI
demonstrating less fissuring and fibrillation. Kennedy
[6]
et al demonstrated improved restoration of radius
curvature and color stratification similar to that of native
cartilage on MRI using T2 mapping in patients treated
with cBMA and AOT. Overall, current evidence suggests
that cBMA can improve cartilage repair in OLT, but
future clinical research and clinical trials are necessary
for better comparison of outcomes with other biological
adjuncts.
10
CONCLUSION
14
11
12
13
OLT present a challenge and optimal treatment remains
controversial. Although future randomized clinical trials
are needed to establish evidence of the most effective
treatment, both reparative and replacement procedures
remain feasible options. The literature supports treatment
with BMS for lesions of smaller sizes, whereas treatment
with AOT may be utilized for larger or cystic lesions. Cellbased techniques and allograft transplantation may be
utilized in failed primary procedures. Although biologic
augmentation offers promising results, well-designed
clinical trials are necessary to determine efficacy in the
clinical setting.
15
16
17
18
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