Bone autograft collapse. Clinical case of the complication and clinical case of the solutions to this problem

BACKGROUND: The issue of full-thickness osteochondral defect replacement in the talus is highly relevant. Bone autografting has proven effective in treating patients with this pathology, but the method has its drawbacks. The implantation of two or more bone autografts in large osteochondral defects may result in reduced contact strength between the donor bone and the recipient’s surrounding bone, leading to the formation of cysts and autograft instability.

Clinical cases description: We present two clinical cases for your consideration. In the first case, chondroplasty of the talus was performed with mosaic implantation of bone autografts. Six months later, due to instability of the bone autograft accompanied by pain, ankle joint arthrodesis was performed. Six months postoperatively, the pain score on the VAS scale decreased from 7/10 to 3/10, the AOFAS score was 74/100, and the FAAM score was 70/84. In the second clinical case, a modified mosaic chondroplasty using AMIC technology with provisional fixation of bone autografts with a pin was performed. Six months later, CT scans showed osteointegration of the bone autografts without the formation of subchondral cysts. The questionnaires also demonstrated positive dynamics: the VAS score decreased from 7/10 to 1/10, the AOFAS score improved from 70/100 to 90/100, and the FAAM score increased from 72/100 to 83/84.

CONCLUSION: The leading criterion for a successful bone autograft procedure is the stability of the autograft, which is achieved through adequate graft length and secure fixation. The proposed method of provisional fixation of the bone autograft with a pin during mosaic chondroplasty is a reproducible, effective, and cost-efficient technique that ensures the stability of the bone autograft and maintains its press-fit contact with the talus.