Arthroscopic microfracture with atelocollagen augmentation for osteochondral lesion of the talus: a multicenter randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: We aimed to evaluate whether arthroscopic microfracture with atelocollagen augmentation could improve the clinical outcomes and quality of regenerated cartilage in patients with osteochondral lesion of the talus (OLT). We hypothesized that the clinical outcomes and quality of the regenerated cartilage would be superior in patients undergoing arthroscopic microfracture with atelocollagen augmentation compared to those undergoing arthroscopic microfracture alone. METHODS: In this multicenter, randomized controlled trial, 60 patients were randomly allocated to two groups: arthroscopic microfracture with atelocollagen augmentation (group 1, n = 31) and arthroscopic microfracture alone (group 2, n = 29). Mean 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS), Hannover scoring system (HSS), and American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) scores were assessed 2 years postoperatively and compared between the groups. The quality of the regenerated cartilage was assessed according to the Magnetic Resonance Observation of CArtilage Repair Tissue (MOCART) score based on magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: Forty-six patients (22 in group 1, 23 in group 2) completed the 2-year follow-up. The quality of the regenerated cartilage assessed based on the MOCART score was significantly superior in group 1 compared to group 2 (64.49 ± 18.27 vs 53.01 ± 12.14, p = 0.018). Clinical outcomes in terms of 100-mm VAS (17.25 ± 20.31 vs 19.37 ± 18.58, p = 0.72), HSS (93.09 ± 13.64 vs 86.09 ± 13.36, p = 0.14), and AOFAS (91.23 ± 8.62 vs 86.91 ± 10.68, p = 0.09) scores were superior in group 1 compared to group 2, but the differences were not statistically significant. Both groups showed significant improvements in clinical outcomes compared with the preoperative values. CONCLUSION: The quality of the regenerated cartilage was superior after arthroscopic microfracture with atelocollagen augmentation compared to that after microfracture alone in patients with OLT. Clinical outcomes assessed 2 years postoperatively were superior in patients who underwent arthroscopic microfracture with atelocollagen augmentation compared to those who underwent arthroscopic microfracture alone, although the differences were not statistically significant. A long-term study of the cohort is required to confirm these findings. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02519881), August 11, 2015.