Presentation
Pain and swelling of the left knee after a sports injury
Patient Data
Note: This case has been tagged as "legacy" as it no longer meets image preparation and/or other case publication guidelines.
There is a large chondral fracture involving the lateral trochlear facet with the avulsed cartilaginous fragment floating within a large suprapatellar joint effusion. Also seen is moderate to severe edema within the vastus lateralis and lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscles, compatible with a moderate to severe strain.
Case Discussion
Chondral fractures occur when there is trauma to the joint surface without breaking the underlying bone. Injury is most common in weight bearing regions of articular cartilage. They most often occur in the medial femoral condyle of young adults following a direct blow to the knee or following a rotational injury. Clinically, chondral fracture mimics a torn meniscus, and may or may not be associated with meniscal tears. Chondral fractures may cause persistent pain, locking, buckling, swelling, or crepitus of the knee.
Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.