Rosemont, Ill., July 11, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — According to a new study published in Foot & Ankle International (FAI), patients suffering from large Osteochondral Lesions of the Talus (OLTs) reported pain relief and improved function following structural allograft transplantation, a surgical treatment that takes fresh bone from a cadaveric donor and implants it in the patient’s ankle joint.
OLTs are injuries to the talus (the bottom bone of the ankle joint) that involve both the bone and the overlying cartilage. As many as 85% of OLTs occur after an ankle sprain or traumatic injury. OLTs may soften the cartilage layers, cause cyst-like lesions, or fracture the cartilage and bone layers. Patients with OLTs may experience ankle pain, swelling, catching, or instability. Foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeons use imaging such as X-rays, CT scans, or an MRI to diagnose the condition.
If non-surgical treatment for OLTs does not relieve pain and other symptoms, surgery may be recommended. The osteochondral allograft transplantation procedure was developed to treat large, challenging lesions by transplanting a fresh (not frozen) bone from a cadaveric donor.
Researchers at Duke University Medical Center evaluated 31 patients who underwent structural fresh osteochondral allograft transplantation between 2007 and 2019. The evaluation included preoperative imaging, postoperative patient questionnaires administered yearly, and postoperative imaging checking for allograft…
