Background: Osteochondral allograft (OCA) transplantation in the tibiofemoral joint has been extensively studied, but limited data exist regarding outcomes after patellofemoral (PF) OCA transplantation, particularly for bipolar osteochondral lesions. Purpose: To compare graft failure rates, graft reoperation rates, and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) between patients who underwent unipolar and bipolar PF OCA transplantation at the ≥2-year follow-up. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: A retrospective review of a prospectively maintained institutional database identified patients who underwent PF OCA transplantations from 2015 to 2024. Patients with concomitant tibiofemoral OCA transplantation or .99). Conclusion: Bipolar and unipolar PF OCA transplantation both yielded excellent and comparable short- to midterm postoperative PROs, clinically significant functional improvement, and reoperation rates. Although larger cumulative bipolar lesions may indicate a higher disease burden and risk of graft failure, bipolar transplantation remained effective and clinically beneficial in most patients at the final follow-up, delaying arthroplasty and associated increased complication rates in this young patient cohort.
Acheampong et al. (Tue,) studied this question.
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