Design and application of two novel assistive devices in autologous osteochondral transplantation for talar osteochondral lesions: A technical note - 17/09/26

Doi : 10.1016/j.otsr.2026.104875

Yanzhi Chen ^b,^{^{1
These authors contributed equally and are therefore listed as co-first authors.}}, Minghui Li ^a,^{^{1
These authors contributed equally and are therefore listed as co-first authors.}}, Zaili Fang ^a, Xiao Liang ^a, Yu Xia ^a, Wenhao Wang ^a, Xiuping Li ^c, Yu Cheng ^a,^{^{2
These authors contributed equally as co-corresponding authors.},}⁎ , Hongtao Zhang ^a,^{^{2
These authors contributed equally as co-corresponding authors.},}⁎

^a Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Ping Hai Road 899, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215000, China

^b Emergency Surgery Department, The Second People's Hospital of Lianyungang Affiliated to Kangda College of Nanjing Medical University, Hailian East Road 41, Lianyungang, Jiangsu 222006, China

^c Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Suzhou Wuzhong People's Hospital, Dongwu North Road 61, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215000, China

^⁎ Corresponding authors at: First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, SuZhou, JiangSu, China. First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University SuZhou JiangSu China

Sous presse. Épreuves corrigées par l'auteur. Disponible en ligne depuis le Thursday 17 September 2026

Abstract

Autologous osteochondral transplantation (AOT) is a standard treatment for large-sized osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLT); however, the conventional OATS system used intraoperatively sometimes is suboptimal for meeting surgical demands. To address this, we designed two novel assistive devices: a sizing template to guide osteochondral graft orientation, and an impactor rod to facilitate graft insertion. These devices were evaluated in a retrospective consecutive case series of 34 patients (mean age, 44.5 ± 11.8 years) with OLT who underwent AOT. At mean follow‑up of 69.1 ± 18.8 months, VAS pain score decreased from 7.1 ± 1.4 to 1.4 ± 0.7 (p < 0.001) , AAS score improved from 1.7 ± 0.6 to 5.6 ± 0.9 (p < 0.001) , FAAM score also significantly increased, and the final MRI‑based MOCART score was 72.6 ± 2.8. The new devices facilitated surgery, improved accuracy, and yielded good clinical outcomes.