Orthopedic Research and Reviews (Aug 2022)
Osteochondral Allografts in Knee Surgery: Narrative Review of Evidence to Date
Abstract
Wilson C Lai,1 Hunter L Bohlen,1 Nathan P Fackler,1,2 Dean Wang1,3 1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, UCI Health, Orange, CA, USA; 2Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA; 3Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USACorrespondence: Dean Wang, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, UCI Health, 101 The City Drive S. Pavilion III, 2nd Floor, Orange, CA, 92868, USA, Tel +1 714-456-7012, Email [email protected]: Knee articular cartilage defects can result in significant pain and loss of function in active patients. Osteochondral allograft (OCA) transplantation offers a single-stage solution to address large chondral and osteochondral defects by resurfacing focal cartilage defects with mature hyaline cartilage. To date, OCA transplantation of the knee has demonstrated excellent clinical outcomes and long-term survivorship. However, significant variability still exists among clinicians with regard to parameters for graft acceptance, surgical technique, and rehabilitation. Technologies to optimize graft viability during storage, improve osseous integration of the allograft, and shorten recovery timelines after surgery continue to evolve. The purpose of this review is to examine the latest evidence on treatment indications, graft storage and surgical technique, patient outcomes and survivorship, and rehabilitation after surgery.Keywords: cartilage, osteochondral allograft transplantation, survivorship, outcomes, rehabilitation
