Traumatic glenoid osteochondral injuries are rare with limited evidence for their optimal management. Arthroscopic osteochondral autograft transplantation, which is effective for knee cartilage repair, has rarely been reported for the shoulder. We report the clinical outcomes of arthroscopic osteochondral autologous transplantation. A 20-year-old male sustained pain in his left shoulder when he tackled with his left shoulder hyperflexed during a martial art practice. Imaging confirmed an anteroinferior glenoid cartilage defect with subchondral bone damage. Arthroscopic transplantation was performed using two 4.5-mm diameter osteochondral plugs harvested from the knee, supplemented by labral repair. At one-year follow-up, the patient was pain-free, had fully recovered range of motion, and returned to competitive martial arts. Arthroscopic osteochondral autograft transplantation effectively treats traumatic glenoid osteochondral injuries with promising short-term outcomes. Further long-term follow-up is needed to evaluate the risk of developing osteoarthritis.
Furukawa et al. (Wed,) studied this question.