Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-29-2026

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This article is the author's final published version in Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, Volume 14, Issue 1, January 2026, Article Number 23259671251353519.

The published version is available at https://doi.org/10.1177/23259671251353519. Copyright © The Author(s) 2026.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Osteochondral allograft (OCA) transplantation is an established surgical intervention for full-thickness chondral defects. Standard preservation (SP) protocols currently allow for OCAs to be stored for a maximum of 28 days after procurement before significant chondrocyte death. An alternative protocol, the Missouri Osteochondral Allograft Preservation System (MOPS), has been shown to allow for grafts to be stored for twice the maximum time allotment as SP.

PURPOSE: To compare clinical outcomes in patients who have undergone OCA transplantation utilizing the extended storage capabilities of the MOPS versus SP protocols.

STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

METHODS: Patients who underwent OCA transplantation from 2012 to 2018 were retrospectively identified. Patients without appropriate follow-up, postoperative outcomes, or necessary preoperative imaging were excluded. All patients had at least 2 years of follow-up data. Patient characteristics, outcomes, and graft information were compared between patients who received grafts preserved by MOPS versus SP as previously defined.

RESULTS: In total, 64 patients were included: 25 were in the MOPS group and 39 in the SP group. Members of the MOPS group were significantly younger at the time of surgery than those in the SP group (28.6 ± 10.7 years vs 36.7 ± 10.9 years;

CONCLUSION: OCAs preserved using the MOPS can be stored at greater than twice the storage duration of grafts preserved with SP techniques without a significant difference in postoperative outcomes.

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Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Language

English

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