Cartilage techniques for osteochondral lesions of the talus

Abstract

Symptomatic osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLT) often require surgical treatment. Surgery can be broadly divided into reparative, including bone marrow stimulation, and replacement procedures, including osteochondral autograft transplantation and osteochondral allograft transplantation. Other surgical options include autologous chondrocyte implantation and subsequently matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implantation, which have the potential to promote regeneration; however the supporting evidence is still limited. Additionally, biological adjuncts and scaffolds have been shown to have promising evidence and may be utilized alongside surgery to improve healing potential. This chapter will review the main treatment options for OLT, with guidelines on when each treatment is indicated to optimize patient outcomes.