Tibial Plateau Cartilage Lesions: A Systematic Review of Techniques, Outcomes, and Complications

Heat-Treated Osteochondral Allograft and Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation for a Large Osteochondral Defect: A Case Report

CASE

A 21-year-old man presented with knee pain secondary to tibial plateau malunion and an osteochondral defect 1 year after open reduction and initial fixation. Two-stage reconstruction with transplantation of a bulk heat-treated osteochondral allograft and an autologous chondrocyte implantation was performed.

CONCLUSION

This technique may be a good choice for large defects in the articular cartilage in cases of tibial plateau malunion. It may be a viable alternative for defect reconstruction, resulting in favorable early clinical, functional, and radiological outcomes.

Biologic Joint Restoration: A Translational Research Success Story

Treatment options that result in consistently successful outcomes for young and active patients with joint disorders are needed. This article summarizes two decades of rigorous research using a bedside-to-bench- to-bedside translational approach based on the One Health - One Medicine concept that culminated in successful clinical use of biologic joint restoration options for treatment of knee, hip, ankle, and shoulder problems in this growing patient population.

Long-Term Survivorship and Clinical Outcomes of Osteochondral Autologous Transplantation for Steroid-Induced Osteonecrosis of the Knee

OBJECTIVE

Treatments for steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the knee remains challenging, and there has not been sufficient evidence to support joint preservation surgery. This study evaluated long-term outcomes of osteochondral autologous transplantation (OAT) for steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the knee.

DESIGN

This retrospective case series included patients who underwent OAT for steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the knee from 1998 to 2008. The survivorship and need for secondary surgery were evaluated, and the clinical outcome was evaluated with the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective score. Preoperative and final Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grade of the femorotibial and patellofemoral joints were individually evaluated.

RESULTS

Fourteen knees of 10 patients whose mean age was 32.5 (95%CI 26.4-38.6) years were included and followed for 14.0 (12.4-15.7) years. The mean lesion size of 6.9 (5.3-8.5) cm² was repaired using 4 median (minimum 2, maximum 5) osteochondral plugs. No revision surgeries were performed for transplanted osteochondral plugs. The IKDC subjective score improved from 32.9 (24.5-41.3) to 74.2 (61.9-88.5) (P < 0.001). Knee flexion was improved at the final follow-up, and Seiza sitting was finally possible in 9 knees in 7 patients. Although the osteoarthritic change did not progress in femorotibial joint, patellofemoral joint showed early osteoarthritic changes at the final follow-up (mean KL grade: 0.8 [0.5-1.1]).

CONCLUSIONS

Prosthetic joint replacement was successfully avoided for at least the first decade by OAT in young patients with steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the knee. The progression of KL grade of the patellofemoral joint is of concern.

Patient-Reported Outcomes for Large Bipolar Osteochondral Allograft Transplantation in Combination with Realignment Osteotomies for the Knee

Effective treatment for bipolar articular cartilage lesions in the knee remains a clinical challenge. Lower extremity malalignment is a risk factor for treatment failures, which can be addressed by tibial or femoral osteotomy. The purpose of this study was to compare outcomes among patients who underwent knee joint restoration by osteochondral allograft (OCA) transplantation with concurrent or staged realignment osteotomy. With Institutional Review Board approval, patients undergoing bipolar OCA transplantation with concurrent or staged distal femoral osteotomy (DFO) or high tibial osteotomy (HTO) were analyzed. Patients were categorized by osteotomy type (DFO and HTO) and timing (concurrent and staged). Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), revisions, failures, and complications were examined preoperatively (baseline), 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after OCA transplantation; change scores from preoperative values were used for analysis. A total of 23 patients met inclusion criteria (15 males); 13 (56.5%) received HTO (5 concurrent), while 10 (43.5%) received DFO (5 concurrent). There were no significant differences in complication rates between concurrent and staged osteotomies. Primary bipolar OCA transplantation with osteotomy was associated with successful outcomes in 70% of patients; four patients underwent revision (17.4%) and three (13.0%) failed and were treated by total knee arthroplasty. Further, the four patients undergoing revision met functional criteria for success at final follow-up, resulting in a 2-year functional survival rate of 87.4%. Aside from Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) physical function, all PROMs for concurrent and staged osteotomies improved from baseline to 2 years postoperatively. Concurrent osteotomies of both types were associated with significantly lower pain scores at 12 months (p = 0.04), compared with staged osteotomies. Apart from Single Assessment Numerical Evaluation (SANE), more PROM improvement was observed for concurrent osteotomies at 2 years. Improvements in PROMs for patients undergoing OCA transplantation combined with osteotomy were observed at 2-year follow-up. PROMs for concurrent osteotomy were consistently greater than staged osteotomy, lending support to addressing lower extremity malalignment with bipolar OCA transplantation in the knee during a single surgery when possible.

Reconstruction of Large Osteochondral Lesions in the Knee: Focus on Fixation Techniques

Large (>3 cm²), focal osteochondral lesions (OCL) may result in poor functional outcomes and early secondary osteoarthritis of the knee. The surgical management of these OCL remains challenging. The treatment strategy must be tailored to various aspects, including lesion-specific (e.g., size, location, chronicity), joint-specific (e.g., instability, limb alignment, meniscal status), and patient-specific factors (e.g., age, activity level, comorbidities). Simple chondroplasty and bone marrow stimulation (BMS) techniques should be reserved for smaller lesions, as they only realize midterm clinical benefits, related to inferior wear characteristics of the induced fibrocartilage (type I collagen). Therefore, much attention has been focused on surgical restoration with hyaline cartilage (type II collagen), based on chondrocyte transplantation and matrix-assisted autologous chondrocyte implantation (MACI). Limited graft availability, staged procedures (MACI), and high treatment costs are limitations of these techniques. However, acute traumatic OCL of the femoral condyles and patellofemoral joint may also be suitable for preservation by surgical fixation. Early detection of the fragment facilitates primary repair with internal fixation. The surgical repair of the articular surface may offer promising clinical and cost-effective benefits as a first-line therapy but remains under-investigated and potentially under-utilized. As a unique characteristic, the fixation technique allows the anatomic restoration of the hyaline articular surface with native cartilage and the repair of the subchondral bone. In this manuscript, we present a case series of large OCL around the knee that were preserved by surgical fixation. Furthermore, various implants and techniques reported for this procedure are reviewed.

Use of Osteochondral and Meniscal Allografts from Bone Cuts of Total Knee Arthroplasty for the Treatment of Tibial Plateau Malunions: A Case Series of Four Patients Showing Early Results

PURPOSE

Intra-articular malunion of tibial plateau fracture is a complex problem to treat. We are presenting outcomes of our series of patients of malunited tibial plateau fractures treated with osteo-chondro-meniscal allograft from lateral tibial plateau harvested from patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

METHODS

The technique was used in four patients. Preoperative computed tomography (CT) scan was used to match donor and recipient graft dimensions and to measure any malalignment. Patients were evaluated for Visual analogue Scale (VAS) for pain (scale 1-10 cm), WOMAC (Western Ontario McMaster Osteo-Arthritis Index) score, knee range of motion, and limb alignment.

RESULTS

There were three medial tibial plateau malunions and one lateral tibial plateau malunion. Articular comminution with depression was seen in all of them. One patient underwent concurrent high tibial osteotomy for the elevation of the medial tibial plateau and posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction was performed concurrently in one patient. All patients showed improvement in knee range of motion, WOMAC score, and VAS score for knee pain. Limb alignment improved in all cases. Radiologically there was consolidation of the allograft in all the cases at 6 months. The mean follow-up was 15.2 months (range 12-18 months).

CONCLUSION

Osteochondral allograft can be a good choice for reconstructing large articular cartilage defects in tibial plateau malunions. Osteo-chondro-meniscal grafts obtained during TKA can be a viable alternative for reconstructing such defects with excellent early clinical, functional, and radiological outcomes.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

IV.

Cartilage Restoration Using Dehydrated Allogeneic Cartilage, Platelet-Rich Plasma, and Autologous Cartilage Mixture Sealed With Activated Autologous Serum

Articular cartilage injury is a common source of knee pain and dysfunction. Patients in whom conservative treatment fails may benefit from surgical intervention to restore function and alleviate pain. Autologous cartilage procedures are a viable treatment modality for cartilage repair, providing comparable outcomes to osteochondral allografts while leaving the subchondral bone intact. This article discusses the senior author's method of cartilage restoration using BioCartilage (Arthrex, Naples, FL), platelet-rich plasma, and autologous cartilage collected using a designated collection device sealed with activated autologous serum.

Prospective Assessment of Outcomes After Primary Unipolar, Multisurface, and Bipolar Osteochondral Allograft Transplantations in the Knee: A Comparison of 2 Preservation Methods

BACKGROUND

Articular cartilage lesions in the knee remain a challenging clinical problem.

HYPOTHESIS

A novel graft preservation method combined with surgical technique and patient management improvements would lead to consistently successful outcomes after osteochondral allograft (OCA) transplantation.

STUDY DESIGN

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

METHODS

With institutional review board approval and informed consent, patients were prospectively enrolled into a registry to follow outcomes after OCA transplantation. Patients were included when ≥1-year follow-up data were available, including complications and reoperations, patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), compliance with rehabilitation, revisions, and failures.

RESULTS

For patients meeting inclusion criteria (N = 194), mean ± SD age was 37.9 ± 12.2 years and mean BMI was 28.9 ± 5; 38% received unipolar transplants (44% multisurface) and 62% received bipolar transplants. OCAs were preserved by standard tissue bank methods (standard preservation [SP]; 29%) or the novel method (Missouri Osteochondral Preservation System [MOPS]; 71%). Initial success rates were 79% for all cases combined, 60% for SP, and 84% for MOPS. MOPS cases were significantly (P = .028) more likely to be associated with successful outcomes when compared with SP cases. PROMs improved significantly (P < .05) for all cohorts through 3 to 4 years of follow-up. Revisions were performed in 19 cases (10%). MOPS grafts were associated with a significantly (P = .0014) lower revision rate (5%) than SP grafts (21%). Failures occurred in 26 patients (13%), with all undergoing total knee arthroplasty. Bipolar cases were significantly (P = .008) more likely to be associated with failure. MOPS grafts were associated with a significantly (P = .048) lower failure rate (11%) than were SP grafts (19%). Noncompliance with the prescribed rehabilitation protocol was significantly (P = .00008) more likely to be associated with failure.

CONCLUSION

Prospective data for 194 cases revealed that OCA transplantation for unipolar, multisurface, and bipolar cartilage restoration can be associated with consistently successful outcomes. The 5% revision rate, 11% failure rate, 82%-94% survival probability estimates, and continually improving PROMs through postoperative 3 to 4 years underscore major advances in outcomes as compared with previous reports. These encouraging results were realized with the use of a novel graft preservation method; autogenous bone marrow concentrate pretreatment of donor bone; advancements in graft cutting, implantation, and stabilization techniques; and procedure-specific rehabilitation protocols.