Talar dome lesion

Patients usually present with localized ankle pain and swelling. Pain is worse with physical activities such as running and high impact sports. Often a clicking or popping sound is heard and felt. Physical exam usually reproduces these findings.

X-rays usually do not give much information but can often show subtle changes in bone density in areas localized to pain. Advanced imaging such as MRI is required to confirm diagnosis. Lesions can be seen on the MRI images are very clear and can be small bone contusion type of injuries or as severe as complete detachment and displacement of the cartilage.

Talar dome lesion surgery depends on the severity of the condition. Cast immobilization and physical therapy can often work in the younger patient population with non displaced injuries. Surgical intervention is often necessary when conservative measures fail or when there is a displaced cartilage defect. Multiple treatment options are available depending on the injury and severity.

Some Surgical Options we provide for OCD:

• Arthroscopy with repair
• OATS Procedure
• DeNovo® NT Natural Tissue Graft
• BioCartilage® Allograft Cartilage Repair
• Arthroscopy with allograft or autografts
• Microfracture of OCD
• 3-D talus

These include arthroscopic debridement of the ankle joint and microfracture of the osteochondral defect to promote healing. The OATs procedure (osteochondral autologous allograft transfer is considered if the defect is greater than 20mm in size. The graft can be harvested from the knee. Cadaveric osteochondral allograft transfer is also an option for such injuries and has the benefit of having no donor site complications.

3-D printed Talus is the latest innovation in treating such injuries for larger defects or when there is necrosis of the talus. The implant used is the exact replica of the patient’s own talus.

Discuss your condition with our expert doctors and see what option is best for you.