Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the capitellum is an overuse injury most commonly seen in young overhead athletes such as throwers and gymnasts. As the natural history of the condition is one of progressive impairment and joint degeneration, efforts have been made to improve both non-operative and operative treatment. Surgical intervention is indicated for pain and functional limitation in the setting of unstable OCD lesions, as well as in those who fail nonoperative treatment. Several surgical techniques have been utilized, including drilling, internal fixation, microfracture, and osteochondral grafting. In conjunction with careful patient selection and meticulous surgical technique, autologous osteochondral grafting has been shown to be safe and highly effective, with high healing and return to sports rates. In this paper, we describe our preferred technique for single-plug, autogenous, osteochondral grafting for the treatment of capitellar OCD.
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