Outcomes Following the Arthroscopic Chondro-Gide Repair of Osteochondral Defects of the Talus

Background and objective Osteochondral defects (OCD) of the talus are associated with pain and ankle joint dysfunction. Autologous matrix-induced chondrogenesis (AMIC) is one of the arthroscopic surgical techniques described for the treatment of talar OCD. There is scarce evidence regarding the use of Chondro-Gide or any other synthetic matrix for OCD of the talus. We aimed to investigate patient outcomes following Chongro-Gide repair of talar OCDs, along with the relationship between lesion diameter and patient outcomes. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out, and patient outcomes were recorded. Olerud-Molander Ankle Score (OMAS) was documented for each patient during clinic follow-ups, as well as visual analogue scores (VAS). Both preoperative and postoperative OMAS and VAS scores were recorded at the 12-week postoperative follow-up. The other factors recorded were as follows: lesion size, site of OCD, postoperative complications, patient age, and gender. Results Sixteen patients were identified with isolated talus OCD. The mean preoperative OMFAS was 30 (range: 10-45) while the postoperative OMAS was 72.7 (range: 65-100, p<0.01). The mean VAS score was 7.85 preoperatively compared to 2.69 postoperatively (p<0.01). The average OCD diameter was 8.9 mm (range: 3-14). There was no statistically significant correlation between OCD lesion diameter and improvement in OMAS scores (p>0.05). The most commonly reported complication by patients was postoperative stiffness. Conclusions We observed positive outcomes following arthroscopic osteochondral lesion repair using AMIC Chondro-Gide. While there is a paucity of evidence on the use of AMIC to treat talar OCDs, our study adds to the growing evidence endorsing arthroscopic AMIC with Chondro for treating talar OCDs.