Arthroscopic-assisted retrograde mosaicplasty for an osteochondral defect of the femoral head without performing surgical hip dislocation

Management of chondral and osteochondral lesions of the hip : A comprehensive review

Chondral and osteochondral lesions encompass several acute or chronic defects of the articular cartilage and/or subchondral bone. These lesions can result from several different diseases and injuries, including osteochondritis dissecans, osteochondral defects, osteochondral fractures, subchondral bone osteonecrosis, and insufficiency fractures. As the cartilage has a low capacity for regeneration and self-repair, these lesions can progress to osteoarthritis. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the subject matter that it covers. PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar were accessed using the following keywords: "chondral lesions/defects of the femoral head", "chondral/cartilage lesions/defects of the acetabulum", "chondral/cartilage lesions/defects of the hip", "osteochondral lesions of the femoral head", "osteochondral lesions of the acetabulum", "osteochondral lesions of the hip", "osteochondritis dissecans," "early osteoarthritis of the hip," and "early stage avascular necrosis". Hip osteochondral injuries can cause significant damage to the articular surface and diminish the quality of life. It can be difficult to treat such injuries, especially in patients who are young and active. Several methods are used to treat chondral and osteochondral injuries of the hip, such as mesenchymal stem cells and cell-based treatment, surgical repair, and microfractures. Realignment of bony anatomy may also be necessary for optimal outcomes. Despite several treatments being successful, there is a lack of head-to-head comparisons and large sample size studies in the current literature. Additional research will be required to provide appropriate clinical recommendations for treating chondral/osteochondral injuries of the hip joint.

Novel Allograft in the Load-Bearing Portion of the Femoral Head

Background: An osteochondral defect in the hip can be a painful and limiting pathologic process. The damaged joint may progress into premature osteoarthritis, further limiting a patient's functionality. Case Report: A 24-year-old male presented to the clinic with left hip pain. The patient had been involved in a motor vehicle accident 3 years prior to presentation to our clinic. His injury from the high-speed accident required intramedullary rod fixation for a right-sided (contralateral) subtrochanteric femur fracture. The patient complained of left groin pain when in a sitting position, with activities of daily living, and with exercise. He failed conservative management consisting of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and physical therapy. Imaging on presentation demonstrated an osteochondral defect in the weight-bearing portion of the left femoral head consistent with an International Cartilage Repair Society grade 4b lesion, a cam lesion was noted on assessment of bone morphology, and magnetic resonance imaging revealed degenerative labral pathology. The patient was treated with surgical hip dislocation through a modified Hardinge approach, femoral head osteochondral allograft transplantation using a Missouri Osteochondral Preservation System (MOPS) graft, acetabuloplasty, femoral neck osteoplasty, and open labral repair. Conclusion: Femoral head osteochondral MOPS allograft transplantation is a viable technique for joint preservation in young patients with posttraumatic osteochondral defects of the femoral head.

Surface repair of the femoral head using press-osteochondral autograft transfer

Aims

Hyaline cartilage has a low capacity for regeneration. Untreated osteochondral lesions of the femoral head can lead to progressive and symptomatic osteoarthritis of the hip. The purpose of this study is to analyze the clinical and radiological long-term outcome of patients treated with osteochondral autograft transfer. To our knowledge, this study represents a series of osteochondral autograft transfer of the hip with the longest follow-up.

Methods

We retrospectively evaluated 11 hips in 11 patients who underwent osteochondral autograft transfer in our institution between 1996 and 2012. The mean age at the time of surgery was 28.6 years (8 to 45). Outcome measurement included standardized scores and conventional radiographs. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to determine the failure of the procedures, with conversion to total hip arthroplasty (THA) defined as the endpoint.

Results

The mean follow-up of patients treated with osteochondral autograft transfer was 18.5 years (9.3 to 24.7). Six patients developed osteoarthritis and had a THA at a mean of 10.3 years (1.1 to 17.3). The cumulative survivorship of the native hips was 91% (95% confidence interval (CI) 74 to 100) at five years, 62% (95% CI 33 to 92) at ten years, and 37% (95% CI 6 to 70) at 20 years.

Conclusion

This is the first study analyzing the long-term results of osteochondral autograft transfer of the femoral head. Although most patients underwent conversion to THA in the long term, over half of them survived more than ten years. Osteochondral autograft transfer could be a time-saving procedure for young patients with devastating hip conditions who have virtually no other surgical options. A larger series or a similar matched cohort would be necessary to confirm these results which, in view of the heterogeneity of our series, seems difficult to achieve.

Mosaicplasty of the Femoral Head: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Current Literature

Osteochondral lesions of the femoral head are rare. For the treatment of these lesions, various joint-preserving procedures, particularly in young, active patients, have been developed. Mosaicplasty is a well-established surgical procedure for the knee. However, there is little evidence that this method can also be used to treat osteochondral lesions in the hip. The indication for cartilage procedures continues to evolve for the knee, and a similar strategy may be adopted for the hip joint. Due to limited evidence and a lack of experience, mosaicplasty treatment of these lesions remains challenging, especially in young patients. This study shows that open and arthroscopic management using the knee and femoral head as donor sites yielded good to excellent short- to mid-term outcomes. For osteochondral lesions of the femoral head, mosaicplasty may be a new alternative treatment option, although this needs to be proven with longer follow-ups and in a larger sample of patients.

Acetabular Coverage May Affect Radiographic and Clinical Outcomes of Osteochondral Allograft Transplantation of Focal Femoral Head Lesions: A Case Series From a Single Institution

Osteochondral lesions of the femoral head in young people are rare and present unique management challenges. Optimal treatment for these lesions is unclear. From 2009 to 2016, clinical and radiographic outcomes were prospectively collected within a series of symptomatic focal osteochondral lesions of the femoral head with a minimum follow-up of 2 years. A surgical hip dislocation followed by implantation of a size-matched fresh osteochondral femoral head allograft was performed. Nine hips in eight patients (6 female patients) underwent surgery at an average of 17 years (11 to 21 years). Individual allograft sizes ranged from 10 to 35 mm in diameter; with 2 of 9 hips receiving two allografts in a stacked or mosaicplasty technique at the time of treatment. The average graft implantation was 3536.5 mm2. Modified Harris hip scores improved by 13.4 (P = 0.018) from preoperative to final follow-up for all patients. Significant improvements in internal rotation (12° versus 23°, P = 0.011), external rotation (32° versus 50°, P = 0.041), and abduction (28° versus 40°, P = 0.042) were also achieved. Three patients (four hips) demonstrated poor radiographic healing (<50% incorporation at 2 years), which correlated with worse clinical outcomes and was associated with a lower preoperative lateral center edge angle (21.5° versus 30.4°, P = 0.049). Fresh osteochondral allograft treatment is a good option for focal osteochondral lesions of the femoral head with improved outcomes and motion; however, higher failure rates may be seen in those with a lower center edge angle.

Promising outcomes of hip mosaicplasty by minimally invasive anterior approach using osteochondral autografts from the ipsilateral femoral head

PURPOSE

Recent studies demonstrated promising results of mosaicplasty for femoral head osteochondral lesions using posterior and lateral approaches. This study aimed to evaluate outcomes of mosaicplasty using ipsilateral femoral head autografts by minimally invasive anterior approach. The hypothesis was that this surgical technique would grant satisfactory clinical outcomes with considerable improvement of clinical scores.

METHODS

A consecutive series of 27 mosaicplasties, to treat osteochondral lesions of the femoral head measuring 1.6 ± 0.7 cm² (range 0.8-4.0) in patients aged 28.7 ± 7.4 years (range 19-44), was evaluated using the mHHS and WOMAC scores at minimum follow-up of 12 months. All patients were operated by minimally invasive anterior (Hueter) approach and osteochondral plugs were harvested from the non-weight-bearing portion of the femoral head. Adjuvant osteoplasty was necessary for some patients at the acetabulum (n = 3), femur (n = 14) or both (n = 2).

RESULTS

Three patients were excluded due to concomitant periacetabular osteotomies or shelf procedures, one patient could not be reached, and another was revised to THA. This left 22 patients for clinical assessment at 39.4 ± 23.2 months (12.0-90.2). Their mHHS improved from 56.3 ± 12.6 to 88.4 ± 9.9, and WOMAC improved from 45.1 ± 16.9 to 80.6 ± 13.0. Two patients (8.4%) underwent arthroscopy at 13 and 30 months to remove painful residual cam-type deformities. Regression analyses revealed that net improvement in WOMAC decreased with lesion size (p = 0.002) and increased with follow-up (p = 0.004).

CONCLUSIONS

Hip mosaicplasty using autografts from the ipsilateral femoral head, performed by minimally invasive anterior approach, granted satisfactory outcomes and functional improvements. Caution is, however, advised for lesions > 2 cm² (diameter > 16 mm) which may be a threshold limit for this procedure.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level IV, Case series.