Comparison of Arthroscopic Treatment Methods in Talar Osteochondral Lesions: A Multicenter, Prospective, Randomized Clinical Trial

Background The aim of the present study was to contribute new and updated information to the literature by comparing the clinical and radiologic results of arthroscopic microfracture, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) after arthroscopic microfracture, and BST-Cargel scaffold application after arthroscopic microfracture in the treatment of talar osteochondral lesions. Methods Sixty-two talar osteochondral lesion patients (31 women and 31 men) who underwent ankle arthroscopy in two different centers were randomized into three groups. The first group consisted of patients who underwent only arthroscopic microfracture (MF) (n = 22); the second group consisted of patients who underwent the PRP procedure after arthroscopic MF (PRP; n = 19); and the third group consisted of patients who underwent the BST-Cargel procedure after arthroscopic MF was (BST-Cargel; n = 21). The talar osteochondral lesions in the three groups were classified according to magnetic resonance and arthroscopic images. American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society, Foot and Ankle Ability Measurement (overall pain, 15-minute walking, running function), and visual analog scale scores were evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively, and postoperative return time to sports activities was performed. Results Compared to the preoperative score, postoperative American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society score increased 48.80 ± 9.60 in the BST-Cargel group, whereas there was an increase of 46.68 ± 3.65 in the PRP group and 29.63 ± 3.69 in the MF group, which were statistically significant (P < .05).There was a statistically significant postoperative change in the visual analog scale scores of the patients in all three groups compared to the preoperative scores (P < .05). At the end of the follow-up, the Foot and Ankle Ability Measurement overall pain, 15-minute walking, and running function results of all three groups increased significantly postoperatively compared to the preoperative values (P < .005). Conclusions BST-Cargel application with microfracture is a method that can be applied easily and safely with arthroscopy to lesions larger than 1.5 cm2 regardless of the size of the cartilage defect, and it has been found to be superior to the other two methods in terms of pain, functional score, radiologic recovery, and return to sports activities.