OCD/Talar Dome Lesions
A talar dome lesion is a cartilage and bone injury in the ankle joint, often caused by an ankle sprain, that may require surgery if conservative treatments fail.
What Is a Talar Dome Lesion?
The ankle joint is composed of the bottom of the tibia (shin) bone and the top of the talus (ankle) bone. The top of the talus is dome-shaped and is completely covered with cartilage—a tough, rubbery tissue that enables the ankle to move smoothly. A talar dome lesion is an injury to the cartilage and underlying bone of the talus within the ankle joint. It is also called an osteochondral defect (OCD) or osteochondral lesion of the talus (OLT). “Osteo” means bone and “chondral” refers to cartilage.
Talar dome lesions are usually caused by an injury, such as an ankle sprain. If the cartilage does not heal properly following the injury, it softens and begins to break off. Sometimes a broken piece of the damaged cartilage and bone will float in the ankle.
Surgery is indicated if injections fail, with arthroscopy used to assess and repair the damaged cartilage.
If the patient fails injections, Dr. Levick will utilize arthroscopy to map out where the lesion is. Depending on size and location, there are numerous techniques to fix the deficit in the cartilage.
