Concepts of Arthroscopic Treatment of Osteochondral Lesions of the Elbow

The osteochondral lesion of the elbow mainly affects the capitulum of teenagers doing sports with repetitive elbow loads. Stable lesions with open growth plates are mainly treated with a conservative treatment regime. For unstable lesions, especially after growth arrest, surgery is the treatment of choice. The transfer of an (autologous) cartilage–bone cylinder or MACT plus cancellous bone plasty is a treatment method that should be considered due to the osteochondral nature of the defect. However, the most frequently performed surgery in these cases is still the arthroscopic debridement. Long-term studies show superior clinical and radiological results for osteochondral transfer in comparison to debridement.