Return to Sports Activity After Microfracture for Osteochondral Lesion of the Talus in Skeletally Immature Children

Background: Osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLTs) are among the common sports-related injuries. However, there are few reports on the return to sports after OLT surgery in skeletally immature children. This study was performed to evaluate the return to sports after microfracture for OLTs in skeletally immature children. Methods: This study involved 17 ankles of 16 patients (mean age, 13.2 years; range, 10-16 years) with open tibial epiphyses on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) who underwent microfracture for OLTs <10 mm in diameter and confirmation of lesion instability under arthroscopy. Nine of 17 ankles had additional lateral ankle ligament stabilization. All patients were participating in some form of sports. The Japanese Society for Surgery of the Foot (JSSF) score, Ankle Activity Score (AAS), return to sports rate, lesion size, grade of subchondral bone marrow edema, and Magnetic Resonance Observation of Cartilage Repair Tissue (MOCART) score on MRI were evaluated after microfracture. The mean postoperative follow-up period was 53.5 months. Results: The mean JSSF score significantly improved from 76.1 points preoperatively to 94.9 points at the final follow-up ( P < .01). The mean AAS showed no change from preoperative state to final follow-up. The return to sports rate was 100%. The lesion size significantly decreased from 76.3 to 56.7 mm 2 in area ( P = .02) and from 283.2 to 185.6 mm 3 in volume ( P = .05). The bone marrow edema grade decreased in 8 of 17 ankles. The total MOCART score showed a significant improvement from 6 months to 1 year postoperatively ( P = .05). Conclusion: All skeletally immature children who underwent microfracture for OLTs in this study were able to return to sports activity and showed improvements in clinical scores and MRI parameters. Microfracture may be considered an effective first-line treatment for OLTs <10 mm in diameter in skeletally immature athletes. Level of Evidence: Level IV, retrospective case-control study.