Osteochondritis dissecans of the weight-bearing surface of the medial femoral condyle in adults

Osteochondritis dissecans (OD) is a syndrome that can be characterized as a non-infectious disturbance of enchondral ossification or as a post-traumatic event. OD occurs in the joint cartilage and physis of long bones, as well as in the talus. The medial femoral condyle is the most commonly affected site. OD of the weight-bearing, inferocentral portion of medial femoral condyle is an uncommon, but still challenging issue in knee surgery. This study reports one surgeon's experience in the treatment of OD of the weight-bearing surface of the medial femoral condyle in adult patients. A total of 29 knees in 28 patients with OD were reviewed as the basis of this study. Four patients were women and 24 were men. The average age was 29.5 years. Patients were observed for an average of 2 years after surgery. Medial joint line tenderness, anterior knee pain, stiffness and locking were the major complaints in 60% of cases. Arthroscopic excision of loose bodies with or without drilling of the crater and fixation of the lesions with 2 K-wires, with or without bone grafting, was undertaken for the patients. In our study, the clinical outcome was excellent in 11 patients, good in 13, fair in four and poor in one. On subjective questioning, all patients reported marked improvement and satisfaction with the surgery. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.