Clinical and Radiological Outcomes of combined Arthroscopic Microfracture and Mesenchymal Stem Cell Injection Versus Isolated Microfracture for Osteochondral Lesions of the Talus: A Meta-Analysis of Comparative Studies.

We aimed to systematically evaluate the clinical and radiological outcomes reported in comparative studies evaluating combined arthroscopic microfracture and mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) injection versus isolated microfracture for osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLT). A total of 5 studies were included. Demographics, American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score, Tegner activity scale score, Foot and Ankle Outcome Scale (FAOS), visual analogue scale (VAS), and Magnetic Resonance Observation of Cartilage Repair Tissue Score (MOCART) were analyzed. A total of 348 patients were evaluated, 171 of whom underwent combined microfracture and MSC injection and 177 of whom underwent isolated microfracture. The frequency-weighted mean ages were 38.9 ± 13.5 and 36.9 ± 11.4 years and the mean follow-up were 36.7 ± 13.3 and 36.2 ± 16.2 months in the combined microfracture and MSC injection and isolated microfracture groups, respectively. The combined microfracture and MSC injection group showed significantly better postoperative AOFAS score (81.5 ± 7.4 vs 68.2 ± 5.1, p < .001), and MOCART score (74.3 ± 16.3 vs 63.9 ± 15.5, p < .001) with differences beyond the minimum clinically important difference. The combination of arthroscopic microfracture and MSC injection significantly improved functionality and radiological outcomes compared to those of isolated microfracture for OLT.