Gender May Affect Mid-Term Outcomes Following Bone Marrow Stimulation for Osteochondral Lesions of the Talus

CATEGORY: Ankle INTRODUCTION/PURPOSE: Bone marrow stimulation (BMS) is typically indicated as a surgical intervention for patients who have symptomatic osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLT). Despite differences in ankle biomechanics and cartilage morphology between male and female patients, there is scant evidence examining whether these differences affect outcomes following BMS. The purpose of this study was to compare the outcomes in female and male patients following BMS in the treatment of OLTs. METHODS: A retrospective analysis comparing female and male patients treated with BMS for OLT between 2007 and 2015 was performed. Clinical outcomes were evaluated using the Foot and Ankle Outcome Scores (FAOS) and Short-Form 12 (SF-12). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at final follow-up was evaluated with the modified magnetic resonance observation of cartilage repair tissue (MOCART) score. RESULTS: Thirty-one females and 38 males were included in this study. The mean patient age was 39.6+-16.9 for females and 36.5+-14.5 years for males. There was no significant difference in age, lesion size, follow-up time, and a number of concomitant procedures. Lateral lesions occurred more frequently in male patients (p=0.034). In female patients, the mean FAOS pain score improved from 60.2 +- 15.5 preoperatively to 84.0 +- 8.9 at 1-2 year follow-up (p<0.001), and then decreased to 80.0 +- 13.1 at final follow-up at 3-4 years, which was not statistically significant (p=0.191). In male patients, the mean FAOS pain score improved from 64.7 +- 17.0 preoperatively to 83.1 +- 9.2 at 1-2 year follow-up (p<0.001), and then decreased to 76.0 +- 14.6 at final follow- up at 3-4 years (p=0.023). The mean MOCART scores were 59.3 +- 24.0 in female patients and 67.3 +- 23.6 in male patients (p=0.278). CONCLUSION: Lateral lesions were more common in male patients possibly indicating an acute traumatic etiology. Medial lesions were more common in female patients indicating potentially a chronic pathology. This may have implications in reducing the incidence of OLT in female patients. The outcomes following BMS in both female and male patients were good with no significant differences in FAOS pain score and MOCART score at short-term follow-up. FAOS scores in male patients were more likely to decrease after 1-2 years post-surgery, implying a possibly faster decline than in female patients.