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ABSTRACT: Purpose
To determine the clinical significance of fluid imbibition at the bone-cartilage interface seen on postoperative MRI scans after osteochondral grafting of chondral lesions of the knee.Methods
Retrospective review of patients enrolled in a prospective cartilage repair registry. Included patients underwent osteochondral autografting or allografting of the knee, had minimum one year of clinical follow-up, and underwent at least two postoperative MRI scans. The primary outcome was reoperation for arthroscopic debridement and chondroplasty or graft revision. Secondary outcomes included the radiographic fate of fluid imbibition.Results
A total of 48 knees in 46 patients were analyzed, with mean 39 months clinical follow-up. Nine patients (19%) had fluid imbibition on at least one postoperative MRI scan, all of whom received allograft. Of these, two (22%) required eventual graft revision, four (45%) underwent arthroscopic chondroplasty but did not require revision, and three (33%) did not require any additional surgery by final follow-up. No demographic or surgical variable was associated with the presence of fluid imbibition. Fluid imbibition was significantly associated with need for chondroplasty (p = 0.05), but not graft revision.Conclusions
Fluid imbibition on postoperative MRI following osteochondral allografting of the knee is associated with the need for arthroscopic chondroplasty, but should not be interpreted as a sign of a failing graft.Level of evidence
Level IV, Case Series.
SUBMITTER: Balazs GC
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6823826 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

Journal of clinical orthopaedics and trauma 20190330 Suppl 1
<h4>Purpose</h4>To determine the clinical significance of fluid imbibition at the bone-cartilage interface seen on postoperative MRI scans after osteochondral grafting of chondral lesions of the knee.<h4>Methods</h4>Retrospective review of patients enrolled in a prospective cartilage repair registry. Included patients underwent osteochondral autografting or allografting of the knee, had minimum one year of clinical follow-up, and underwent at least two postoperative MRI scans. The primary outcom ...[more]