Outcomes are favorable after arthroscopic treatment of osteochondritis dissecans of the talus.

Arthroscopic treatment of osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the talus has resulted in outcomes as good as, or better than, those after arthrotomy. We noted a lack of prospective studies investigating the outcomes of arthroscopic treatment. As such, we conducted a prospective study investigating the functional outcomes, pain scores, patient satisfaction, and expectation scores of patients undergoing arthroscopic treatment of OCD of the talus, hypothesizing that these patients would have good outcomes and satisfaction. A total of 61 patients underwent arthroscopic chondroplasty, removal of loose bodies, and microfracture for OCD of the talus and completed ≥1 year of follow-up. We evaluated patients pre- and postoperatively at 6 and 12 months using the Ankle-Hindfoot score, visual analog scale for pain, and Medical Outcomes Study short-form 36 questionnaires. We also evaluated the patients' expectations and satisfaction. The mean Ankle-Hindfoot score improved significantly from 53.0 ± 14.3 points preoperatively to 77.8 ± 19.1 at 6 months and 83.1 ± 18.3 at 12 months after arthroscopic treatment (p < .001). The overall scores at the final follow-up visit were excellent for 30 (49%), good for 6 (10%), fair for 18 (30%), and poor for 7 (11%). The patients also experienced significant improvement in the visual analog scale score and physical component score of the short-form 36 questionnaire (p < .001). Of the 61 patients, 67% had their expectations fulfilled and 74% were satisfied with their surgery at 12 months of follow-up. Arthroscopic treatment of OCD of the talus continues to be a successful procedure to alleviate pain and loss of function. It is also associated with improvements to quality of life and good patient satisfaction.