Sustained clinical success at 7-year follow-up after arthroscopic Lift-Drill-Fill-Fix (LDFF) of primary osteochondral lesions of the talus

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Abstract

Purpose: To describe the long-term clinical results of arthroscopic fragment fixation for chronic primary osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLT), using the Lift-Drill-Fill-Fix (LDFF) technique. Methods: Eighteen patients (20 ankles) underwent fixation for a primary OLT with an osteochondral fragment using arthroscopic LDFF and were evaluated at a minimum of 5-year follow-up. Pre- and postoperative clinical assessment was prospectively performed by measuring the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) of pain at rest, during walking and when running. Additionally, the change in Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS) and the procedure survival (i.e., no reoperation for the OLT) at final follow-up was assessed. Results: At a mean follow-up of 7 years, the median NRS during walking significantly improved from 7 (IQR 5–8) pre-operatively to 0 (IQR 0–1.5) at final follow-up (p = < 0.001). This result was sustained from 1-year follow-up to final follow-up. The NRS during running significantly improved from 8 (IQR 6−10) to 2 (IQR 0–4.5) (p < 0.001) and the NRS in rest from 2.5 (IQR 1–3) to 0 (IQR 0–0) (p = < 0.001). The median FAOS at final follow-up was 94 out of 100 for pain, 71 for other symptoms, 99 for activities of daily living, 80 for sport and 56 for quality of life. The FOAS remained significantly improved post-operatively on all subscales, except for the symptoms subscale. The procedure survival rate is 87% at final follow-up. Conclusion: Arthroscopic LDFF for fixable chronic primary OLTs results in excellent pain reduction and improved patient-reported outcomes, with sustained results at long-term follow-up. These results indicate that surgeons may consider arthroscopic LDFF as treatment of choice for fragmentous OLT. Level of evidence: Level IV, prospective case series.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1978-1985
Number of pages8
JournalKnee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy
Volume31
Issue number5
Early online date2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2023

Keywords

  • Fixation
  • LDFF
  • OLT
  • Osteochondral lesion
  • Surgery

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