Comparison of Outcomes After Primary Versus Salvage Osteochondral Allograft Transplantation for Femoral Condyle Osteochondritis Dissecans Lesions.

Background: Osteochondral allograft transplantation (OCAT) allows the restoration of femoral condyle osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) lesions using an osteochondral unit. When OCD lesions are irreparable, or treatments have failed, OCAT is an appropriate approach for revision or salvage surgery. Based on its relative availability, cost-effectiveness, lack of donor site morbidity, and advances in preservation methods, OCAT is also an attractive option for primary surgical treatment for femoral condyle OCD. Hypothesis: OCAT for large femoral condyle OCD lesions would be highly successful (>90%) based on significant improvements in knee pain and function, with no significant differences between primary and salvage procedure outcomes. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Patients were enrolled into a registry for assessing outcomes after OCAT. Those patients who underwent OCAT for femoral condyle OCD and had a minimum of 2-year follow-up were included. Reoperations, treatment failures, and patient-reported outcomes were compared between primary and salvage OCAT cohorts. Results: A total of 22 consecutive patients were included for analysis, with none lost to the 2-year follow-up (mean, 40.3 months; range, 24-82 months). OCD lesions of the medial femoral condyle (n = 17), lateral femoral condyle (n = 4), or both condyles (n = 1) were analyzed. The mean patient age was 25.3 years (range, 12-50 years), and the mean body mass index was 25.2 kg/m Conclusion: Based on the low treatment failure rates in conjunction with statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in patient-reported outcomes, OCAT can be considered an appropriate option for both primary and salvage surgical treatment in patients with irreparable OCD lesions of the femoral condyles.