Knee Osteochondritis Dissecans (OCD) Drilling
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Overview
OCD Drilling is a procedure which is designed to ‘break up’ the stress fracture which is contributing to the fracture not healing and to promote new growth factors and bone to heal the fracture.
Procedure Description
OCDs can be very successfully treated with drilling the lesion from the deep surface (behind the cartilage). This is performed via keyhole surgery (arthroscopy) and with X ray assistance. It is conducted under general anaesthetic with local anaesthetic given afterwards.
Blue arrow indicates OCD beneath the kneecap on MRI
Blue arrow indicates a drill being inserted to treat a patella OCD
Post Operative Recovery
You will be placed into a brace, and you will have a bandage and dressings on your knee. You will typically have 2-3 small incisions, and the location of the OCD determines the position of the incisions.
You will be required to be non weight bearing post operatively, and undergo physiotherapy based rehabilitation in line with our protocol.
Knee Brace
Outcomes
OCD drilling is very successful and can result in resolution of the OCD in 85-95% of cases. This depends upon the severity of the lesion, its location and various other factors which will be discussed with you prior to your surgery.
Swelling and discomfort is normal after the procedure and it is common for the knee to remain swollen for several weeks.
Wound review: After 2 weeks you will have an appointment with to have your wound checked, any stitches will be removed.
As with all surgery, there are risks with performing surgery on your torn tendon. These include infection, delayed healing or wound problems. Difficulty with pain and range of movement may also be occur. Further injury to the repaired tendon is a possibility in the future and knee arthritis may occur as a result of the injury.
If you have any of the following symptoms, please call VBJS via our contact number.
Fever
Heavy bleeding or ooze from the wound
Increased swelling and redness around the surgery site
Pain in the calf muscles or difficulty breathing
