Nonoperative treatment of stable juvenile osteochondritis dissecans of the knee: effectiveness of unloader bracing.

The purpose of this study was to compare the treatment outcomes of stable juvenile osteochondritis dissecans (JOCD) of the knee in a large cohort treated nonoperatively with unloader bracing versus other nonoperative treatment modalities without unloader bracing. This retrospective study assessed the clinical course of skeletally immature patients who underwent a minimum of 3 months nonoperative treatment for stable JOCD of the femoral condyle at a single institution (2001-2014). Treatment was based on physician preference. Unloader bracing was compared with other 'non-unloader' modalities, with successful nonoperative treatment defined as the avoidance of subsequent surgical intervention. Two hundred ninety-eight patients were included, 219 (73%) of whom were male. The mean ± SD age at diagnosis was 11.5 ± 1.6 years. Thirty-five patients were diagnosed with bilateral OCD, resulting in 333 knees in total. One hundred eighty-seven (56%) knees were treated with unloader bracing for a minimum of 3 months, whereas 146 (44%) were treated with other nonoperative modalities. All patients were treated with activity restrictions. Weight-bearing restrictions were applied for a total of 83 (25%) cases, for durations ranging from 19 to 196 days (median: 46 days) and at similar rates across groups. Nonoperative treatment was successful in 189 (57%) knees with a median follow-up of 9.5 months (interquartile range: 5.9-15.7 months). Surgical intervention was required in 144 (43%) knees at a median time of 6.0 months (interquartile range: 4.1-10.5 months). The unloader bracing group more often required surgical intervention when compared with the nonunloader group [93/187 (50%) vs. 51/146 (35%) knees, respectively; P = 0.02]. Male sex (P = 0.05) and Hefti stage I (P = 0.05) showed possible associations with nonoperative treatment success. Nonoperative treatment for stable JOCD of the knee leads to the avoidance of subsequent surgical intervention in 57% of cases. Unloader bracing is not associated with significantly improved outcomes when compared with other nonoperative modalities. Level of Evidence: III Retrospective Comparative Case Series.