Treatment of osteochondral lesions in the elbow: results after autologous osteochondral transplantation

Background Osteochondral lesions in the elbow still remain a challenging field of surgery. In recent years promising clinical results were described for the osteochondral transplantation technique. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the clinical and radiological outcome in the mid-term follow-up of a large cohort of patients following osteochondral transplantation in the elbow. Methods 18 patients with advanced osteochondral lesions of the elbow treated by autologous osteochondral autograft cylinders and a minimum follow-up of 36 months were included in the study. The Broberg–Morrey score (BMS) and the American Shoulder and Elbow score (ASES) were used to assess elbow function and pain, respectively. The joint status was analyzed using plain radiographs and MRI scans taken from all patients at recent follow-up. In addition, the ipsilateral knee joint was examined for donor-site morbidity using the Lysholm knee score. Results 14 patients were evaluated with a mean follow-up of 7 years (range 3–14 years). The mean BMS was 95.1 (range 72–100) points. The ASES score also showed promising results: pain at worst 1.5 (range 0–5) points, pain at rest 0.4 (range 0–5) points, pain lifting loads 2.8 (range 0–8) points, repetitive movement pain 1.5 (range 0–8) points. The range of motion of the injured elbow was free and equal to the contralateral side. Signs of osteoarthritis could be found on plain radiographs in three patients. The MRIs at follow-up showed graft viability in all patients. However, a slight incongruency of the chondral surface could be detected in two patients. The average Lysholm score was 90.9 (range 0–70) points. Conclusions Osteochondral transplantation in the elbow leads to both clinical and radiographic good-to-excellent mid-term results and therefore represents a reasonable treatment option for advanced osteochondral lesions in the elbow. Level of evidence Retrospective study; Therapeutic Level IV.