Effect of the Presence of Subchondral Cysts on Treatment Results of Autologous Osteochondral Graft Transfer in Osteochondral Lesions of the Talus

The aim of the present study was to clinically evaluate whether the presence of subchondral cysts had an effect on the treatment results of autologous osteochondral graft transfer in osteochondral lesions of the talus. Patients were enrolled in the present study according to the inclusion criteria. In the evaluation, we divided the patients into 2 groups according to presence (n = 13 patients) or absence (n = 15 patients) of a subchondral cyst. The mean age, body mass index, follow-up period, and lesion size in each group were measured and compared, and no statistically significant differences were found between the 2 groups (p > .05). The clinical assessment was performed using the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society Hindfoot scoring system, visual analog scale, and International Knee Society scoring system. No statistically significant difference was found between the pre- and postoperative scores of the 2 patient groups (p > .05). The successful results in both groups after a 2-year follow-up period have demonstrated that treatment of osteochondral lesions of the talus with osteochondral graft transfer is a safe method that can be performed independently of the presence of a subchondral cyst.