Radiographic evaluation of frontal talar edge configuration for osteochondral plug transplantation

Abstract

For successful reconstruction of osteochondral lesions of the talus, the anatomic configuration of the talar edge must be respected. This study evaluated the radiographic configuration of the talar edge in the anterior-posterior (AP) view by analyzing medial and lateral talar edge angles and radii in 81 patients with a true AP view and without ankle pathology. The mean lateral talar edge angle was 91.8 degrees , and the mean medial talar edge angle was 110.0 degrees . The medial frontal talar edge radius was 4.8 mm and the lateral 3.5 mm, respectively. No correlation between angle and radius was found. These results revealed a significant difference between the medial and the lateral talar edge configuration. This may be due to the three-dimensional function of the human ankle joint. No study so far has addressed these differences radiologically. These differences should be addressed in the reconstruction of osteochondral lesions and be included in the preoperative planning.

Computer tomographic evaluation of talar edge configuration for osteochondral graft transplantation

“…Most anatomic or radiographic studies consider the medial and lateral talus edge as a sharp edge (Reimann et al, 1986; Fessy et al, 1997; Stagni et al, 2005). This was disproved by Leumann et al (2009) in a study performed on conventional anteroposterior radiographs of the ankle joint. The radius of the talus was shown to be 4.8 mm medially and 3.5 mm laterally.…”

Knee-to-Ankle Mosaicplasty for the Treatment of Osteochondral Lesions of the Ankle Joint

“…Preoperative evaluation of the talar edge shape may therefore be useful. 24 It was shown in a theoretical model by Wu et al 43 that even small incongruencies of 0.25 to 0.5 mm can have an important effect on the stress strain distribution. Even in a perfect fit, stress and strain fields show discontinuity over the plug-joint boundary.…”

Computed Tomographic Evaluation of Joint Geometry in Patients With End-Stage Ankle Osteoarthritis

“…For both procedures, weight-bearing radiographs are used to evaluate joint anatomy prior to surgery. * In the current literature, several descriptive studies have sought to assess normal ankle anatomy using conventional radiographs 7,26,39 and computed tomography (CT) 12,47 in subjects who do not present with degenerative changes. However, to our knowledge, the 3-dimensional (3D) morphology of the ankle, specifically, the talus and distal tibia, has not been formally studied in patients with end-stage ankle OA.…”