Fresh Osteochondral Allograft to the Humeral Head for Treatment of an Engaging Reverse Hill-Sachs Lesion: Technical Case Report and Literature Review

Osteochondral allografts for the treatment of shoulder instability

Aims

To systematically review the predominant complication rates and changes to patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) following osteochondral allograft (OCA) transplantation for shoulder instability.

Methods

This systematic review, following PRISMA guidelines and registered in PROSPERO, involved a comprehensive literature search using PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus. Key search terms included "allograft", "shoulder", "humerus", and "glenoid". The review encompassed 37 studies with 456 patients, focusing on primary outcomes like failure rates and secondary outcomes such as PROMs and functional test results.

Results

A meta-analysis of primary outcomes across 17 studies revealed a dislocation rate of 5.1% and an increase in reoperation rates from 9.3% to 13.7% post-publication bias adjustment. There was also a noted rise in conversion to total shoulder arthroplasty and incidence of osteoarthritis/osteonecrosis over longer follow-up periods. Patient-reported outcomes and functional tests generally showed improvement, albeit with notable variability across studies. A concerning observation was the consistent presence of allograft resorption, with rates ranging from 33% to 80%. Comparative studies highlighted similar efficacy between distal tibial allografts and Latarjet procedures in most respects, with some differences in specific tests.

Conclusion

OCA transplantation presents a promising treatment option for shoulder instability, effectively addressing both glenoid and humeral head defects with favourable patient-reported outcomes. These findings advocate for the inclusion of OCA transplantation in treatment protocols for shoulder instability, while also emphasizing the need for further high-quality, long-term research to better understand the procedure's efficacy profile.

Avascular necrosis of the proximal humerus: a novel indication for the use of osteochondral allograft transplantation in the shoulder: Case report

Osteochondral allograft (OCA) transplantation is an increasingly available biologic treatment option for a range of intraarticular aetiologies. To our knowledge, no prior publication has documented the use of this technology to treat a lesion of the proximal humerus secondary to avascular necrosis (AVN). We describe our experience treating a 42-year-old female executive with idiopathic AVN of the proximal humerus with a fresh osteochondral allograft. Computed tomography (CT) at 3 months post-op showed full bony incorporation and a restored native joint contour. Over the initial 7 months post-operatively, she reported continued improvements in pain and function as measured by quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) scores. She was discharged from physical therapy after 6 months, reporting no rest pain, full active and passive range of motion, and unrestricted occupational and recreational activity.

Segmental Humeral Head Reconstruction in Patients with Chronic Locked Posterior Shoulder Dislocation

Background and Objectives: The goal of this study was to evaluate the functional outcomes of patient treatment using an allograft after chronic locked posterior shoulder dislocation associated with a bony defect of the upper edge of the humerus that involves 25-50% of the articular surfaces. Materials and Methods: A total of 20 patients were included in this study. Electrocution was the cause of injury in eight patients; in ten patients, the cause was direct trauma; and in two patients, the cause of injury was a fall due to hypoglycemic coma. A standard deltoid pectoral approach was used and a fresh-frozen osteochondral allograft of the femoral condyle was applied. In evaluating the results, Constant's scoring scale was used. Results: The average value of Constant's point scale for the operated shoulder is 84.14 points. This result is good according to the average value of Constant's point scale. Conclusions: Patients with locked chronic posterior dislocation in combination with a bony defect of the humeral head that covers 25-50% of the articular surface, in our opinion, should be treated using bone allografts rather than non-anatomical reconstruction methods.

Chronic locked posterior gleno-humeral dislocation: technical note on fibular grafting for restoration of humeral head sphericity

Background

Reconstruction of reverse Hill-Sachs defect using osteo-chondral allograft has the advantages of spherical re-contouring and provision of smooth biological articular surface of the reconstructed humeral head. However, worldwide availability and risk of disease transmission of osteo-chondral allograft remain points of increasing concerns. As an alternative to lacking osteo-chondral allograft, the current technical note describes a reconstructive technique of reverse Hill-Sachs defect using autologous fibular grafting.

Methods

Following open reduction of the dislocated humeral head, reverse Hill-Sachs defect was reconstructed using 3–4 autologous fibular pieces (each is of 10 mm in length) fixed in flush with the articular cartilage using 4-mm cancellous screws. Defect reconstruction was then followed by modified McLaughlin’s transfer and posterior capsulorrhaphy.

Results

Spherical contour of the humeral head and gleno-humeral range of motion were restored. Intra-operative dynamic testing of the reconstruct revealed no residual posterior gleno-humeral instability.

Conclusion

Currently reported technique might offer advantages of graft availability, technical simplicity, familiarity and reproducibility, safety (i.e. no disease transmission) and bone preservation facilitating future revision management (if needed). Nevertheless, long-term outcomes of this technique should be investigated via further cohort clinical studies.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13018-021-02835-2.

Management of Locked Posterior Shoulder Dislocation with Reverse Hill-Sachs Lesions via Anatomical Reconstructions

Objective

To evaluate the outcomes of locked posterior shoulder dislocation with reverse Hill–Sachs lesions in patients treated with anatomical reconstructions.

Methods

Patients who were treated at our institution between January 2016 and June 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. The demographics of the patients including gender, age, occupation, and dominant arm were recorded. Eleven cases from 10 patients qualified in this study. Nine males and one female were included. The mean age of the patients was 44.8 years (range, 33–54 years). Mechanism of injury, duration between injuries and definitive diagnosis, misdiagnosis, size of humeral head impaction, treatment maneuver, and details of operation performed were reviewed. Plain radiographs and computed tomography (CT) scan were taken to determine the size of defects preoperatively and fracture healing during follow‐up. During surgery, the deltopectoral approach was employed. Anatomical reconstruction procedure including reduction, disimpaction, bone grafting, and fixation were sequentially performed. Either cancellous autograft from iliac crest or allograft were used and the fractures were anatomically reduced and stabilized by screws or plates. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Constant–Murley score were recorded to determine the functional outcomes preoperatively, at 3 months and 6 months postoperatively, and at the last follow‐up. The range of motion in forward flexion was recorded at 6 months follow‐up postoperatively.

Results

Causes of injuries included epileptic seizure in four cases, fall in three cases, and road traffic accident in three cases. Misdiagnoses occurred in five out of 10 patients. The mean time between injury and definitive treatment among those misdiagnosed was 112 days. The mean size of the impacted reverse Hill–Sachs lesions was 33.95% (range, 19.1%–42.6%). All patients received surgical management with anatomical reconstruction approach, including open reduction, disimpaction, bone grafting, and internal fixation. The mean amount of bleeding during operation was 450 mL. The mean follow‐up period was 22.6 months. Fracture healing was observed by 8 weeks in all cases postoperatively and evidence of bone grafting could not be further detected on CT scan at 6 month during follow‐up. VAS was significantly lower at the last follow‐up (0.68 ± 0.21) in comparison to preoperative scores (4.96 ± 0.97) (P < 0.05). Constant–Murley was improved significantly at the last follow‐up (91.7 ± 8.3) in comparison to that preoperatively (40.6 ± 10.3) (P < 0.05). The mean range of motion in forward flexion was 38.25° ± 9.36° preoperatively and significantly improved to 162.48° ± 12.68° at 6‐month follow‐up (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

The anatomical reconstruction procedure by open reduction and bone augmentation for the treatment of locked posterior shoulder dislocation with reverse Hill–Sachs lesion was promising in both fracture healing and functional outcomes.

Harvest, Transport, and Storage of Fresh Humeral Head Osteochondral Allograft: Step-by-Step Protocol

Articular cartilage defects are not common in the glenohumeral joint and are mostly found in patients after shoulder trauma, in patients with recurrent instability, or in patients who underwent previous surgical treatment. Articular cartilage defects lead to pain and loss of motion, consequently causing shoulder function impairment and reducing quality of life. In young patients, the use of osteochondral allografts for the treatment of humeral head defects may avoid well-known complications of shoulder arthroplasty. The goal of this Technical Note is to describe a step-by-step protocol for the harvesting, transport, and preservation of fresh humeral head osteochondral tissue for use in allograft transplantation.

Posterior shoulder dislocation with reverse Hill-Sachs lesion. A technical note and report of two cases

Posterior shoulder dislocation (PSD) with a reverse Hill-Sachs lesion is a rare injury with challenging management. This article is a technical note, describing the combination of both, modified McLaughlin procedure with posterior Bankart repair, for the surgical treatment of traumatic PSD associated with a substantial reverse Hill-Sachs lesion. Two patients with mid-term follow-up are presented. Approaching and repairing both sides of the joint, balance and congruency are restored, the humeral head is centralized in the glenoid and the patient starts early mobilization and rehabilitation safely.

Treatment of unstable knee osteochondritis dissecans in the young adult: results and limitations of surgical strategies-The advantages of allografts to address an osteochondral challenge

Joint surface incongruence resulting from osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) alters the articular physiologic congruence, increasing the contact stress on adjacent joint surfaces and accelerating wear and the cascade of joint degeneration. Accordingly, the restoration of articular surface integrity is of major importance, especially in young adults where, in lesions left untreated or following simple fragment excision, early osteoarthritis can be anticipated. Therefore, the treatment algorithm in unstable knee OCD of the young adult foresees surgical options to restore the articular surface. Several procedures have been proposed, including refixation of the detached fragment bone marrow stimulation, osteochondral autograft implantation, fresh osteochondral allograft transplantation, and cell-based or cell-free regenerative techniques. The aim of this review was to summarize the evidence for these surgical strategies, reporting their results and limitations. The overall evidence documents positive results for each of the assorted surgical procedures applied to treat unstable OCD, thus indicating support for their selected use to treat osteochondral defects paying particular attention to their specific indications for the lesion characteristics. The fixation of a good quality fragment should be pursued as a first option, while unfixable small lesions may benefit from autografts. For large lesions, available cell-based or cell-free osteochondral scaffold are a feasible solution but with limitation in terms of regenerated tissue quality. In this light, fresh allografts may offer articular surface restoration with viable physiologic osteochondral tissue providing a predictably successful outcome, and therefore they may currently represent the most suitable option to treat unstable irreparable OCD lesion in young adults. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: V.

Allograft Tissue Safety and Technology

Allograft tissues are commonly used by orthopedic surgeons and are processed using a variety of technologies to increase safety and clinical use. For safety, although disease transmission is a tangible risk, this possibility has been dramatically minimized through modern tissue-processing methods. These include steps to prevent processing tissues with unacceptable bioburden through rigorous screening using donor medical and social histories along with microbial testing of recovered tissue and viral testing of donor serum. Potential bioburden is also controlled through aseptic recovery and processing methods and then reduced through disinfection steps that can include antibiotics, detergents, mechanical process, chemical solutions, and terminal sterilization. Processing steps may also include decellularization methods to lower immunogenic potential of some tissues. To enhance fusion potential of bone void fillers, demineralization steps may be used, and the resultant demineralized bone matrices may be combined with a carrier to improve handling. Bone void fillers and osteochondral allografts may also be specially processed to retain a living cellular component. To preserve relevant biological, biochemical, and physical properties of allografts for clinical use and ease of handling, a number of methods may be used which include: (1) refrigeration in media, (2) freeze-drying, (3) cryopreservation, (4) freezing, and (5) media storage at room temperature. As academic and industry research continue to drive advances, the future direction of allograft tissue likely includes injectables, coatings, cellular therapies, and combinations with other materials. The technology approaches outlined here will be further described along with future directions.

Management of Articular Cartilage Defects in the Glenohumeral Joint

Articular cartilage defects are not often encountered in the glenohumeral joint. These lesions are typically found in patients with shoulder trauma, recurrent instability, or previous surgical treatment. Diagnosis can be difficult; these defects are often found incidentally during arthroscopic or open surgical management of other pathology. Initial management of isolated glenohumeral chondral defects is nonsurgical and includes physical therapy and/or corticosteroid injections. If nonsurgical treatment is unsuccessful, patients may undergo surgery. Because these lesions occur infrequently, few studies have documented surgical techniques and outcomes. Surgical strategies include arthroscopic débridement, microfracture surgery, osteochondral autograft or allograft transplantation, autologous chondrocyte implantation, and particulated juvenile allograft cartilage implantation.

Fresh Osteochondral Allograft Transplantation for Focal Chondral Defect of the Humerus Associated With Anchor Arthropathy and Failed SLAP Repair

Isolated, full-thickness articular cartilage lesions of the glenohumeral joint can cause pain, mechanical symptoms, and impaired function. Reports on operative management of these injuries with arthroscopic techniques, such as marrow stimulation, have shown improvement in patient symptoms. In cases where the subchondral bone is involved, osteochondral allograft (OCA) transplantation has shown positive results for contained, focal cartilage defects. The technique for OCA transplantation to treat Hill-Sachs lesions has been reported in detail, and there are multiple case series reporting on the outcomes of OCA used for this purpose. This Technical Note shows the application of OCA to treat a case of anchor arthropathy where a glenoid anchor placed during arthroscopic stabilization causes iatrogenic damage to the humeral head. This type of injury can result in cartilage lesions in uncommon locations, such as on the posterior humeral head. In this description, the technical pearls and pitfalls of managing difficult-to-access posterior humeral head lesions are presented along with the senior authors' general technique for OCA to treat focal lesions of the humeral head cartilage.