Sustained clinical success at 7-year follow-up after arthroscopic Lift-Drill-Fill-Fix (LDFF) of primary osteochondral lesions of the talus

Fixation for osteochondral lesions of the talus leads to successful clinical outcomes in 9 out of 10 patients: A systematic review

IMPORTANCE

Osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLT) with an osteochondral fragment are amenable for fixation. Fixation aims to stabilize the osteochondral fragment while retaining the native cartilage. Though fixation for OLT is a promising treatment, no systematic overview of the literature on its efficacy and safety exists.

AIM

The primary aim of the present study is to assess the clinical success rate of fixation for OLT. The secondary outcomes concern the union rate and adverse events.

EVIDENCE REVIEW

A systematic literature search of PubMed, Embase (Ovid), and Cochrane Library was performed up to December 2023. The methodological quality of the included studies was evaluated using the Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies (MINORS) tool. The primary outcome the clinical success rate following fixation was pooled using a random effects model with 95% confidence interval (95%-CI). Success was predefined based on cut-off values for commonly used patient- or physician-reported outcome measures. Secondary outcomes concerned the union rate, complication rate, and revision rate.

FINDINGS

A total of 10 studies with 241 ankles were included at a mean follow-up of 40 months. 88% of lesions were chronic in nature, and 12% acute. In total, 9 non-comparative studies had a mean MINORS score of 10.3 (range: 6-14) out of 16 points and 1 comparative study had and a MINORS score of 20 of 24 points. The pooled clinical success rate was 91% [95%-CI: 81%-96%]. The pooled union rate was 91% [95%-CI: 87%-94%]. The addition of biological adjuncts in the form of autologous bone-grafting did not show a statistically superior success rate. The pooled complication and revision rate were 1% [95%-CI: 0-4] and 6% [95%-CI: 0%-4%], respectively.

CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE

Fixation for osteochondral lesions of the talus leads to successful clinical outcomes in 9 out of 10 patients. Moreover, fragment union is achieved in 9 out of 10 patients, with a low reported complication rate. These findings show that when a symptomatic OLT is fixable physicians should consider fixation.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

IV.

An Evidence-Based Update on Fixation Procedures for Acute and Chronic Osteochondral Lesions of the Talus

Osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLT) involve the subchondral bone and the overlying articular cartilage. Various surgical treatments for these lesions are available, such as bone marrow stimulation (BMS), autologous osteochondral grafting, and fixation of an osteochondral fragment. Treatment choice depends on the condition of the lesion, which includes lesion size, morphology, location, and the presence of cysts. Among the surgical procedures available to date, in situ fixation of the osteochondral fragment has the advantage of restoring the articular surface while preserving the native hyaline cartilage and its subchondral bone. Fixation for OLT has been shown to be clinically successful for the treatment of both acute and chronic lesions. Moreover, the indication for osteochondral fragment fixation is expanding as recent studies have found good clinical outcomes in relatively small-sized lesions. The present article describes the current evidence on fixation for acute and chronic OLT.

Fixation of Osteochondral Lesions of the Talus: Indications, Techniques, Outcomes, and Pearls from the Amsterdam Perspective

The treatment of osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLT) remains a topic of debate as no superior treatment has yet been identified. The current consensus is that it is crucial to incorporate lesion and patient characteristics into the treatment algorithm. One such lesion type is the OLT with a fragment, which may benefit from in situ fixation. Fixation preserves the native hyaline cartilage and offers a direct stabilization of the fragment with high-quality subchondral bone repair. This current concepts review describes the evidence-based clinical work-up, indications, surgical techniques, outcomes, and clinical pearls for fixation techniques of OLT from the Amsterdam perspective.

Open lift-drill-fill-fix for medial osteochondral lesions of the talus: surgical technique

OBJECTIVE

Osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLT) with a fragment on the talar dome that fail conservative treatment and need surgical treatment can benefit from in situ fixation of the OLT. Advantages of fixation include the preservation of native cartilage, a high quality subchondral bone repair, and the restoration of the joint congruency by immediate fragment stabilization. To improve the chance of successful stabilization, adequate lesion exposure is critical, especially in difficult to reach lesions located on the posteromedial talar dome. In this study we describe the open Lift, Drill, Fill, Fix (LDFF) technique for medial osteochondral lesions of the talus with an osteochondral fragment. As such, the lesion can be seen as an intra-articular non-union that requires debridement, bone-grafting, stabilization, and compression. The LDFF procedure combines these needs with access through a medial distal tibial osteotomy.

INDICATIONS

Symptomatic osteochondral lesion of the talus with a fragment (≥ 10 mm diameter and ≥ 3 mm thick as per computed tomography [CT] scan) situated on the medial talar dome which failed 3-6 months conservative treatment.

CONTRAINDICATIONS

Systemic disease, including active bacterial arthritis, hemophilic or other diffuse arthropathies, rheumatoid arthritis of the ankle joint, and malignancies. Neuropathic disease. End-stage ankle osteoarthritis or Kellgren and Lawrence score 3 or 4 [3]. Ipsilateral medial malleolus fracture less than 6 months prior. Relative contra-indication: posttraumatic stiffness with range of motion (ROM) < 5°. Children with open physis: do not perform an osteotomy as stabilization of the osteotomy may lead to early closure of the physis, potentially resulting in symptomatic varus angulation of the distal tibia. In these cases only arthrotomy can be considered.

SURGICAL TECHNIQUE

The OLT is approached through a medial distal tibial osteotomy, for which the screws are predrilled and the osteotomy is made with an oscillating saw and finished with a chisel in order to avoid thermal damage. Hereafter, the joint is inspected and the osteochondral fragment is identified. The cartilage is partially incised at the borders and the fragment is then lifted as a hood of a motor vehicle (lift). The subchondral bone is debrided and thereafter drilled to allow thorough bone marrow stimulation (drill) and filled with autologous cancellous bone graft from either the iliac crest or the distal tibia (fill). The fragment is then fixated (fix) in anatomical position, preferably with two screws to allow additional rotational stability. Finally, the osteotomy is reduced and fixated with two screws.

POSTOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT

Casting includes 5 weeks of short leg cast non-weightbearing and 5 weeks of short leg cast with weightbearing as tolerated. At 10-week follow-up, a CT scan is made to confirm fragment and osteotomy healing, and patients start personalized rehabilitation under the guidance of a physical therapist.