Osteochondritis Dissecans

Osteochondritis dissecans, often abbreviated OCD, results a relatively rare disruption of the normal articular cartilage of a joint. Osteochondritis dissecans most commonly involves the femoral side of the knee joint, but is also seen in the elbow, ankle, or other joint surface. Young patients are most frequently affected by osteochondritis and typically have the best outcomes.

The diagnosis of osteochondritis dissecans can usually be made by XRAY (Figure 1). At times the lesions may be picked up by MRI (Figure 2). An MRI is useful in staging the osteochondritis dissecans (Figure 3) which helps decide treatment options.

In children with open physes (growth plates), the lesions often heal with immobilization. If the osteochondritis dissecans lesion has displaced, the bone and cartilage may have to be discarded, but sometimes these lesions can be fixed arthroscopicly by stimulating the underlying healthy bone and fixing the OCD with a screw (Figure 4). Arthroscopy allows the surgeon to best evaluate the joint surfaces and accurately repair any defect by directly visualizing the osteochondritis dissecans lesion through a small incision.

The Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA) and its publication The Journal of Arthroscopy and Arthroscopic Related Research are devoted to the advancement of arthroscopy. Orthopedic surgeons who specialize in arthroscopy and the treatment of osteochondritis dissecans can be identified on this site.