A case report of a simultaneous local osteochondral autografting and ankle arthrodiastasis for the treatment of a talar dome defect.

Talar osteochondral defects (OCDs) are a challenge for treating physicians because they frequently are missed or diagnosed incorrectly, often resulting in severe degenerative arthritis of the ankle joint. Surgical intervention becomes a viable option in the presence of larger OCDs associated with loose bodies or osteochondral lesions that have failed conservative treatment. The successful use of autologous osteochondral autograft in the knee has promoted the applicability in the ankle. This report describes a unique technique for the treatment of large talar osteochondral lesions using a local osteochondral autograft combined with an ankle arthrodiastasis.