Bone & joints
Other nonneoplastic
Osteochondritis dissecans
Author: Vijay Shankar, M.D.
Last author update: 1 February 2013
Last staff update: 19 January 2022
Copyright: 2002-2023, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
PubMed Search: Joints [title] osteochondritis dissecans
Table of Contents
Definition / general | Sites | Radiology description | Case reports | Treatment | Gross description | Gross images | Microscopic (histologic) description | Microscopic (histologic) imagesCite this page: Shankar V. Osteochondritis dissecans. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/jointsosteochondritis.html. Accessed June 9th, 2023.
Definition / general
- Benign noninflammatory condition affecting young adults, with necrosis of subchondral bone and adjacent articular cartilage causing separation from adjacent structures
- Subchondral bone may remain attached to joint surface / synovium
- If attached, both bone and cartilage remain viable
- If detached, bone dies but cartilage remains viable through synovial fluid nutrients
- Probably due to trauma although familial autosomal dominant (Clin Orthop Relat Res 1979;(140):131) and bilateral symmetric cases have been described
- Symptoms include joint pain, joint effusions, locking of joint
Sites
- Usually at lateral aspect of medial femoral condyle near intercondylar notch; also ankle and elbow joints
Radiology description
- Well demarcated defect in articular surface of joint
Case reports
- 14 year old girl with pain, swelling and inability to move right knee joint (J Orthopaedic Case Reports 2012;2:3)
- 26 year old woman with chronic ankle pain (BMJ Case Rep 2009;Apr 14:2009)
Treatment
- Reattachment (if possible) or excision
Gross description
- Flat, smooth nodule of avascular bone with overlying articular cartilage
- Layer of fibrocartilage is usually present on bony surface
Gross images
Images hosted on other servers:
Head of femur
Osteochondritis of left humeral head
with secondary deformation of bone,
eighth to ninth century from Iona
Microscopic (histologic) description
- Articular cartilage, often with calcification; 50% have subchondral bone
Microscopic (histologic) images
Images hosted on other servers:
Pathological specimen of Danish sow
