Abstract
Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is a chronic and painful joint condition that can occur from childhood through to adult life. Microtrauma, vascular insufficiency, or abnormal endochondral ossification are the most common causes of OCD. Reconstructive techniques for OCD of the knee are typically necessary when either non-operative or reparative/regenerative operative treatments fail, or when the OCD is irreversible. To analyze the clinical outcomes and failure rates of fresh osteochondral allograft transplantation (FOCA) used as a reconstructive strategy in OCD patients, an in-depth search was carried out on the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases concerning the existing evidence related to the use of FOCA for OCD patients in the knee joint. A total of 646 studies were found through the search and 2 studies were added after a cross-referenced examination of the articles within the bibliography. Six studies with a total of 303 OCD lesions treated with FOCA, with a mean follow-up of 6.3 years, were included. Although a limited number of low-level evidence studies on this topic are available in previous research, satisfactory clinical results and survival rates of the reconstruction are reported. However, to better define the real advantages of FOCA in the healing process of OCD lesions, comparative studies with different techniques are needed.
Highlights
Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is an incompletely understood joint disorder affecting a broad spectrum of patients, but is most prevalent in adolescents and young adults [1]
Age and skeletal maturity are important variables influencing clinical decision making because older, skeletally mature individuals are less likely to succeed with non-operative treatment and more likely to progress to surgery [9,10]
The aim of this article is to collect research data regarding clinical outcomes, healing processes, and the reconstitution of survival rates from studies describe OCD patients treated with fresh osteochondral allograft transplantation (FOCA), paying particular attention to any differences based on the age and skeletal maturity of the patients, the size of the lesions, the type of FOCA reconstruction, and previous surgeries
Summary
Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is an incompletely understood joint disorder affecting a broad spectrum of patients, but is most prevalent in adolescents and young adults [1]. The incidence of OCD is estimated to be approximately 15 to 30 per 100,000 patient-years [2,3]. OCD lesions are most frequently seen in the knee, occurring most often in the medial femoral condyle (70%, especially in the lateral aspect of the medial femoral condyle), followed by the lateral femoral condyle (15–20%), patella (5–10%), and trochlea (
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
