The Use of Allografts in Ankle Injuries

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Sports Medicine
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Lateral ankle ligament complex injuries can cause instability and cartilage damage, leading to osteoarthritis and reduced quality of life.
• Osteochondral defects (OCD) and ankle instability are challenging to treat, often requiring surgical intervention.
• Ankle osteoarthritis significantly impacts patient function and daily living.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy and advantages of using allografts for treating lateral ankle instability and osteochondral defects.
• To highlight the benefits of allografts compared to other surgical techniques.
• To assess the impact of allografts on functional scores and patient-reported outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent literature on surgical treatments for lateral ankle instability and OCD.
• Analysis of studies utilizing allografts for ankle pathologies.
• Evaluation of functional outcomes and patient-reported measures following allograft transplantation.

Main Results:

• Allografts demonstrate promising results in treating lateral ankle ligament complex damage and OCD.
• Key advantages include no donor site morbidity, single-stage procedures, and reduced surgical time.
• Allografts effectively replace subchondral bone in OCD and are suitable for irregular defects.

Conclusions:

• Allografts represent a valuable surgical option for complex ankle pathologies like instability and OCD.
• They significantly improve functional scores and patient-reported outcomes.
• The benefits of allografts make them an increasingly popular choice in ankle surgery.