Persistent Atraumatic Knee Pain in a Teenage Female with Bony Protuberance Secondary to Hook-Shaped Osteochrondroma

A 13-year-old female presented at her pediatrician’s office with a complaint of sharp, intermittent, right-sided knee pain that had been present for the previous three days without any known trauma and no association with activity. Her medical history was significant for fractures, and on physical exam, there was a hard mass palpated on the medial aspect of her distal thigh that was nontender, nonmobile, and without overlying skin changes. The plain radiograph findings were consistent with a hook-shaped osteochondroma of the right medial distal metaphysis. Orthopedics recommended conservative management with continued ibuprofen for pain and six-week follow-up with repeat radiograph to evaluate for progression. The follow-up radiograph showed no interval growth. However, due to continued pain, the patient had surgical excision of the osteochondroma six months after initial presentation, allowing her to finish her current soccer season. The surgery was successful, and the patient did well after operation with no residual pain.

P080 Acroosteolysis: a rare complication or a co-occurrence with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis?

Background Acroosteolysis refers to a destructive process involving the distal phalanges of the fingers and toes that may extend to metacarpals or metatarsals. Rarely idiopathic, the diagnosis of primary acroosteolysis requires ruling out other causes. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis is an exceptional aetiology of acroosteolysis occurring mainly in psoriatic arthritis. Here by a case of juvenile idiopathic arthritis associated with acroosteolysis of the toes. Methods A 13-year-old girl with no past medical history, presented to our department of rheumatology with oligoarthritis affecting both wrists and knees. She had no familiar history of psoriasis nor rheumatic diseases. She described a dull ache and recurring swelling of knees evolving for >6 years associated with a macular rash of the chest without fever. On examination, the knees were swollen with a limited range of motion of < 90°. Examination of the spine and sacroiliac joints was unremarkable. There was no deformity, no dysmorphic syndrome nor ligamentous hyper laxity. The mucocutaneous examination was normal. Similarly, there was no hepatosplenomegaly or swollen lymph nodes. Laboratory investigations showed high acute phase reactants and normal blood count. Rheumatoid factor, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies and antinuclear antibodies were also negative. Besides, she was negative for HLAB-27. Ophthalmic examination did not show any sequelae of uveitis. Results Plain radiograph of the feet revealed bone resorption of the second and fifth distal phalanges without signs of reconstruction. Other secondary causes of acroosteolysis were ruled out. The diagnosis of oligoarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis was made. In view of the involvement of the distal phalanges, the phenotype of psoriatic arthritis was probable. The patient was initially treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as well as intraarticular injections of corticosteroids in knees. As the flares persisted, she was put on Methotrexate at a dosage of 15 mg per week with marked clinical improvement. Conclusion Our case illustrates a possible occurrence of acroosteolysis of the feet in the field of an active juvenile idiopathic arthritis. It is important to rule out other causes and make a rapid diagnosis in order to ensure appropriate management decisions.

Carpometacarpal Dislocation with Third Metacarpal Fracture

Case Presentation: A 17-year-old male presented to the emergency department (ED) due to trauma to the right hand and wrist after punching a locker at school. He had significant soft tissue swelling. Radiographs demonstrated intra-articular metacarpal fractures with associated carpometacarpal dislocations. The dislocation was reduced bedside in the ED and ultimately underwent closed reduction surgical management with orthopedic surgery. Discussion: Metacarpal fractures result from high-force impact injuries and account for 30-40% of all hand injuries. The most common sites of second through fifth metacarpal fractures are at the neck and the shaft, with the majority involving the fifth metacarpal neck (commonly coined “boxer’s fractures”). Carpometacarpal (CMC) dislocations are a rare injury associated with high-force impact trauma to the wrist. These injuries account for as little as 1% of all acute hand and wrist injuries. Carpometacarpal dislocations are often difficult to diagnose on physical examination due to significant soft tissue swelling, and they can easily be missed on anterior-posterior views of the hand. Lateral and oblique plain radiograph views are essential in the diagnosis as they are more likely to show dislocations. Despite appropriate plain radiographic views, subtle CMC dislocations may be difficult to discern dependent on the level of dislocation or subluxation and overlapping of joints. These injuries are rare due to otherwise highly stable ligamentous and muscular attachments within the wrist. Because of these attachments, dislocations are often associated with concomitant metacarpal fractures.

Biologic Augmentation of Tibiotalocalcaneal Arthrodesis With Allogeneic Bone Block Is Associated With High Rates of Fusion

Background: The orthopedic conditions and systemic comorbidities that occur in patients who require bone block tibiotalocalcaneal (TTC) arthrodesis have made this procedure associated with a higher-than-normal risk of nonunion, graft collapse, hardware failure, and amputation. Here, we present a novel approach to bone block TTC arthrodesis using adjunctive osteoinductive agents and a prolonged course of protected weightbearing to assess if we could improve on historical outcomes. We also evaluated the efficacy of a vascularized medial femoral condyle (MFC) free flap to augment TTC arthrodesis. Methods: Fourteen adult patients underwent bone block TTC arthrodesis biologically augmented with fresh-frozen femoral head allograft, bone marrow aspirate concentrate, and demineralized bone matrix cortical fibers. Three patients with soft tissue defects underwent vascularized reconstruction with an MFC free flap. Radiographic union, the Foot Function Index (FFI), and PROMIS pain interference (PI), and physical function (PF) scores were assessed at follow-up. Results: TTC fusion was documented on plain radiograph in 13 of 14 patients (92.9%) and CT in 10 of 11 patients (90.9%). Mean time to fusion was 183.2 ± 83.2 days. One patient (7.1%) experienced nonunion and persistent infection requiring amputation. Patients who underwent vascularized bone grafting had significantly shorter time to fusion (112.3 ± 31.7 days vs 204.4 ± 82.7 days, P = .05). Patient-reported outcomes revealed mild to moderate pain and dysfunction after 1 year (mean FFI = 41.0% ± 23.1%, PROMIS PI = 58.3 ± 1.8, PROMIS PF = 39.0 ± 2.2). Conclusion: In this relatively small series, the biologic augmentation of bone block TTC arthrodesis with osteoinductive agents and protective weightbearing resulted in excellent rates of fusion, modest pain, and preserved function of the lower extremity in almost all those treated. Osseous healing appears to be enhanced and accelerated with application of an MFC flap. We believe that this approach offers a viable salvage option for these challenging clinical problems. Level of Evidence: Level IV, case series.

MRI findings seen in serous atrophy of bone marrow

An 85-year-old man was referred for an MRI scan of the pelvis for further evaluation of a suspected left neck of femur fracture, which was regarded as equivocal on plain radiograph and CT. The initial MRI demonstrated unusual appearances of the visualised bone marrow and subcutaneous adipose tissue and was initially misinterpreted as a technical malfunction of the scanner. However, a repeat study on a different scanner the following day once again demonstrated the same appearances. The appearances were consistent with serous atrophy of bone marrow, a non-neoplastic disorder of the bone marrow, which is most commonly seen in severe anorexia nervosa or cachexia. These unusual, but distinct, bone marrow and subcutaneous adipose tissue appearances, which are specific to MRI, have been colloquially termed as the ‘flip-flop’ effect.

Soft Tissue CAM Impingement in Adolescents: MRI reveals impingement lesions underappreciated on x-ray (138)

Objectives: The presence of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) in adolescents has been established. However, the existence of a non-ossified CAM lesion in adolescent femoracetabular impingement (FAI) is not well described. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the presence of a non-ossified or soft CAM lesion in adolescent patients with FAI. Methods: A review of a prospective cohort of patients with symptomatic FAI in an institutional registry was performed. Subjects were included if they had an MRI and lateral x-ray of the hip (45o Dunn, Cross Table, or frog) at a baseline visit. On MRI, evaluation of the anterolateral femoral head was evaluated using radial, coronal, sagittal, or axial oblique sequences. When a soft CAM lesion was identified (all found between 2-5 o’clock), an alpha angle was performed on MRI and plain radiograph. The cohort of soft CAM lesions was reviewed and differences between radiographic and MRI alpha angles were assessed using a paired T-Test. Results: Thirty-one (9.3%) of 332 hips (mean age 16.4 yrs, range 13.66-19.59 yrs; 83.9% F) were identified with a soft impinging lesion at the femoral head-neck junction on MRI. The most common primary sport was track & field (4), the average duration of symptoms was 92.4 weeks and a majority with insidious onset (77.4%). The average alpha angle on MRI was greater than on x-ray [63.53 ± 7.94o vs 51.25 ± 7.92o; p<.05]. All subjects with soft CAM lesions demonstrated soft tissue consistent with extension of the physis (n=1),thickening of the peri-chondral ring (n=22), or thickening of the periosteum (n=8). Twenty-two of these patients (71%) with soft impingement underwent hip preservation surgery (n=13 labral repairs) with improvements in clinical outcome. Conclusions: In adolescent patients with symptomatic hip impingement, MRI may be useful to identify soft CAM lesions (non-ossified) that are under-represented on x-ray.

A Radiological Study for Assessment of Cartilage Abnormalities in Patients with Osteoarthritis of Knee

Present study evaluates spectrum of abnormalities and severity of cartilage injury in patients with Osteoarthritis (OA) of knee by comparing plain radiograph and MRI. This retrospective study with 50 patients as sample that underwent MRI (on 3T scanner) and weight bearing radiograph (on 800mA & 1000mA machine) of the knee at our institution. The included patient population was clinically suspected osteoarthritis of the knee. Kellgren-Lawrence grades and proposed MR grade scale was applied. The standard was based mainly on cartilage injury and additional findings. Results: Present study obtained significant result correlation while assessing the disease severity of patients on Kellgren-Lawrence score (on radiograph) and cartilage abnormality (On MRI). Distributions of associated degenerative changes were also documented. Conclusions: Plain radiographs are still important in evaluating osteoarthritis of knee. MRI plays a vital role in imaging the bony and soft tissues of knee as a whole organ. There is significant correlation between plain radiograph and MRI findings.

Open posteromedial dislocation of ankle without associated fractures

<p class="abstract">Dislocation of ankle without associated malleoli or talar fractures is a rare presentation. There is no established standard treatment for this condition. Most of them are treated by immediate reduction followed by immobilisation for 6-9 weeks. Majority of them recover without any complications. Here we reported a case of 33 year old man who was injured due to fall from a height, His ankle was deformed with a laceration over lateral side of ankle. Plain radiograph revealed posteromedial tibiotalar dislocation without any associated fractures. Immediate reduction and suturing was performed. At 5 months postoperative review patient was able to perform his daily routine without any instability or complaints.</p>