Abstract
Introduction
Osteochondral defects of the talus are usually a consequence of trauma. They can cause chronic pain and serious disability. Various interventions, non-surgical and surgical, have been used for treating these defects. The objective of this Cochrane systematic review of randomised control trials is to determine the benefits and harms of the interventions used for treating osteochondral defects of the talus in adults.
Methods
We searched the Cochrane Bone, Joint and Muscle Trauma Group Specialised Register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, MEDLINE In-Process, EMBASE, Current Controlled Trials, the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform and reference lists of articles. Date of last search: December 2009. Eligible for inclusion were any randomised or quasi-randomised controlled clinical trials evaluating interventions for treating osteochondral defects of the talus in adults. Our primary outcomes included pain, ankle function, treatment failure (unresolved symptoms or reoperation) and health-related quality of life. Preference was given to validated, patient-reported outcome measures. Two review authors independently evaluated trials for inclusion and, for the included trial, independently assessed the risk of bias and extracted data.
Results
One small trial with 15 participants and six months follow-up was included. This trial was published only as a conference abstract, which provided inadequate information to judge the trial's methods and no numerical results. The trial reported that a series of three intra-articular hyaluronan injections started three weeks after arthroscopic microfracture did not improve pain but may have improved one aspect of mobility. There were no available data to check this claim. An important finding of this review is that one allegedly randomised trial, which compared three surgical interventions, was not randomised or quasi-randomised. Upon further clarification from contacting the lead trial author, it became clear that this was a comparative study only. The only other randomised trial found was an ongoing trial with a published protocol. This is studying pulsed electromagnetic fields after arthroscopic treatment for osteochondral defects of the talus.
Conclusions
There is insufficient evidence from randomised trials to determine which interventions are best for osteochondral defects of the talus in adults. High quality randomised trials are required to guide non-surgical and surgical treatment decisions for these injuries.
