Open AccessReturn to sports after arthroscopic debridement and bone marrow stimulation of osteochondral talar defects: a 5‐ to 24‐year follow‐up study
Author(s) -
Eekeren I. C. M.,
Bergen C. J. A.,
Sierevelt I. N.,
Reilingh M. L.,
Dijk C. N.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.806
H-Index - 125
eISSN - 1433-7347
pISSN - 0942-2056
DOI - 10.1007/s00167-016-3992-6
Subject(s) - medicine , debridement (dental) , surgery , ankle , retrospective cohort study , gold standard (test) , bone marrow , stimulation
Purpose Osteochondral defects (OCD) often have a severe impact on the quality of life due to deep ankle pain during and after weight bearing, which prevents young patients from leading an active life. Arthroscopic debridement and bone marrow stimulation are currently the gold standard treatment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the number of patients that resume and maintain sports to their pre‐injury activity level after arthroscopic debridement and bone marrow stimulation. Methods This retrospective study evaluated patients treated with arthroscopic debridement and bone marrow stimulation between 1989 and 2008. All patients who were participating in sports before injury were included. The Ankle Activity Scale (AAS) was used to determine activity levels during specific time points (before injury, before operation, after operation and at the time of final follow‐up). Results Ninety‐three patients were included. Fifty‐seven (76 %) patients continued participating in sports at final follow‐up. The median AAS before injury of 8 (range 3–10) significantly decreased to 4 (range 2–10) at final follow‐up. Conclusion It is shown that 76 % of the patients were able to return to sports at long‐term follow‐up after arthroscopic debridement and bone marrow stimulation of talar OCDs. The activity level decreased at long‐term follow‐up and never reached the level of that before injury. The data of our study can be of importance to inform future patients on expectations after debridement and bone marrow stimulation of a talar OCD. Level of evidence Retrospective case series, Level IV.