Editorial Commentary: Knee Lateral Femoral Osteochondral Allografts Are Not Recommended for Medial Femoral Condylar Defects: If the Shoe Doesn’t Fit, Don’t Wear It!

Abstract

Treatment of large articular cartilage defects of the knee is challenging, particularly in young, high-demand patients. Osteochondral allograft (OCA) transplantation is a viable treatment option, providing fully mature articular cartilage during a single operation while avoiding donor site morbidity. Indications are symptomatic, full-thickness articular cartilage defects >3 cm2. Contraindications include a “kissing” lesion of the corresponding articular cartilage surface, uncorrected ligamentous instability, malalignment, peripheral osteophytes, joint-space narrowing, or absence of >50% of the meniscus in the affected compartment. Matching for size and contour is crucial; therefore, we use medial femoral condyle (MFC) allografts for MFC lesions and lateral femoral condyle (LFC) allografts for LFC lesions, and do not recommend LFC grafts for the MFC. Survival rates are 78.7% and 72.8% at 10 and 15 years, respectively.