Functional Recovery and Clinical Outcome After Internal Fixation Using Osteochondral Autologous Transplantation for Osteochondritis Dissecans of the Knee

Background: Functional recovery and return to sports after fixation of osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) lesions of the knee with osteochondral autologous transplantation (OAT) have not been well investigated.

Purpose: To retrospectively evaluate the functional recovery and clinical outcomes after internal fixation with OAT for knee OCD.

Study design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods: A consecutive series of patients who underwent OAT for OCD lesions between 2010 and 2020 were initially enrolled in the study. Patients with adult-onset OCD and those who underwent fragment removal and/or mosaicplasty were excluded. Lysholm score, Tegner activity scale, return-to-sports rate (at the practice/training and preinjury levels), and time to return were evaluated. Clinical factors influencing postoperative functional recovery were analyzed.

Results: Included were 24 patients (26 knees); there were 23 male and 1 female patients, with a mean age of 14.7 years. The mean follow-up period was 27.6 months. A total of 17 lesions were located in the medial femoral condyle and 9 in the lateral femoral condyle. The mean Tegner score was 7.0 preoperatively and 6.5 postoperatively, with no significant difference. The return-to-sports rate was 96.2% at the practice/training level and 84.6% at the preinjury level, with an average return time of 5.1 months and 9.6 months, respectively. In a subgroup analysis of knees that returned to preinjury level (n = 22) by lesion location, there was a significant difference between knees with lesions in the lateral femoral condyle (12.9 months) versus the medial femoral condyle (8.1 months) (P = .02). The rate of return to preinjury level after primary surgery was significantly higher than after revision surgery after failed drilling (P = .02).

Conclusion: Return-to-sports rates and clinical outcomes were favorable after fixation with OAT in patients with knee OCD. A shorter time to return to sports was observed in knees with medial lesions compared with lateral lesions. Furthermore, the rate of return to sports at the preinjury level was significantly higher after primary surgery than after revision surgery after drilling.