Bone Marrow Stimulation for Osteochondral Lesions of the Tibial Plafond Yields Good Patient Reported Outcomes in Daily Living But Moderate Outcomes in Sports Activities at 2 to 22-Years Follow-Up.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the patient reported outcomes, as well as the revision- and complication rates, of patients who underwent arthroscopic bone marrow stimulation (BMS) for an OLTP.

METHODS: Patients with an OLTP treated with arthroscopic BMS at a minimum follow-up of 2 years were cross-sectionally included from a historical database. The primary outcome was the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) during walking. Secondary outcomes included the NRS in rest and during running, and the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS). Additionally, the association of baseline patient and lesion demographics with follow-up PROMs was assessed with spearman rank correlation test. A sub-analysis was performed for PROMs in patients with or without a coexisting talar (i.e., bipolar) lesion. Finally, the revision surgery (i.e., repeat surgery for the OLTP) - and complication rates were assessed.

RESULTS: Fifty-one patients were included at a mean 8.8 (SD: 5.7, range: 2 - 22) years follow-up. 73% of patients had a solitary OLTP and 27% had a coexisting talar (bipolar) lesion. Males had a significantly higher rate of bipolar lesions compared to females (P= <0.01), and patients with a bipolar lesion had a significantly larger OLTP lesion diameter (P= 0.02) and volume (P= 0.04). At final follow-up, the mean NRS during walking was 1.9 (SD: 2.3) out of 10. Anterior-posterior OLTP size (r= 0.36; P= <0.01) was significantly associated with a higher NRS pain score during walking, though the presence of bipolar lesions did not result in inferior clinical outcomes. At final follow-up, 6% of patients underwent revision surgery. Minor complications were observed in 12% of patients.

CONCLUSION: Arthroscopic BMS for OLTP results in favourable patient-reported outcomes at mid- to long-term follow-up, though moderate outcomes were observed in sports activities. Lesion size was associated with increased pain scores while bipolar lesions did not result in inferior patient reported outcomes. 6% of patients required revision surgery and 12% of patients had minor complications postoperatively.