Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2025 Jul;44(3):613-632.
doi: 10.1016/j.csm.2024.10.001. Epub 2024 Nov 7.

Evolving Trends in Return to Sport After Surgical Treatment of Osteochondral Lesions of the Talus: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Up To 2024

Berveglieri Luca  1 , Cerasoli Tosca  1 , Cassanelli Edoardo  2 , Gaiani Federico  1 , Faldini Cesare  3 , Francesca Vannini  1
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Evolving Trends in Return to Sport After Surgical Treatment of Osteochondral Lesions of the Talus: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Up To 2024

Berveglieri Luca et al. Clin Sports Med. 2025 Jul.

Abstract

Osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLTs) pose significant treatment challenges in athletes due to the unique characteristics of the osteochondral unit and high functional demands. This systematic review and meta-analysis, covering literature from January 1990 to April 2024, compares surgical techniques for treating OLTs. Data on surgical details, return-to-sport (RTS) rates, clinical scores, and demographics were analyzed. The mean age was 34.5 years, body mass index 25.7 kg/m2, and lesion size 111.5 mm2, with a follow-up of 4.7 years. No significant differences were found in postoperative clinical scores among techniques. Bone marrow stimulation showed an RTS rate of 83.3% and RTS to pre-injury level of 52.7%.

Keywords: Ankle; Cartilage; OLT; RTS; Sport; Talus.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosures The authors declare no competing interests. All authors of this study declare no conflicts of interest to disclose. This research received no external funding.