Allograft juvenile articular cartilage transplantation for treatment of talus osteochondral defects.

UNLABELLED Osteochondral (OCD) lesions of the talus are frequent sequelae of traumatic ankle injuries such as ankle sprains, fractures, and recurrent ankle instability. Initial management of talus lesions in most cases involves arthroscopy and microfracture/curettage. Tissue resulting from the microfracture is fibrocartilage. Clinical improvement in pain is seen in approximately 75% to 85% of people in a number of studies with long-term follow-up. Often, large lesions (>1 cm(2)) or those with cystic changes require secondary procedures such as talus allograft/autograft or autologous chondrocyte implantation. The use of a juvenile articular chondrocyte allograft is an option for large or refractory lesions and has the advantage of obviating the need for a tibial or fibular osteotomy. The purpose of this article is to describe a novel arthroscopic surgical technique for transplantation of juvenile chondrocytes as a treatment for talus OCD defects. LEVELS OF EVIDENCE Level IV.