Natural History of Osteochondral Lesion of the Talus

Abstract

Many articles on operative treatment strategies for osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLT) have been published. On the other hand, there are only a few reports on the conservative treatment of OLT. Understanding the natural history of OLT is essential to establishing the correct treatment. Conservative treatment might lead to comparable clinical outcomes compared to the current options of the operative treatment in isolated OLT lesions. OLT lesions can be divided into two (or possibly three) types. Hence, the prognosis and outcome of certain operative treatments should be evaluated further. The prognosis of OLT combined with instability or malalignment appears poorer than that of isolated OLT lesions. Therefore, concomitant pathologies should be evaluated together when treating patients with OLT.