title: Postarthroscopic osteonecrosis of the knee.
abstract: Little is known about the etiology of postarthroscopic osteonecrosis of the knee. Its prevalence is probably very low. The most important differential diagnosis is pre-existing and undiagnosed early-stage spontaneous osteonecrosis of the knee. From the medicolegal point of view, orthopaedic surgeons need to be aware of the diagnostic pitfalls in differentiating between postarthroscopic osteonecrosis of the knee and spontaneous osteonecrosis of the knee, and they must understand that both may be unpreventable conditions. The purpose of this report is to review the presumable pathophysiology and the clinical and radiographic features as well as the pitfalls in diagnosing postarthroscopic osteonecrosis of the knee.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Saarland, Homburg/Saar, Germany. dietrichpape@yahoo.de
authors.forename: Dietrich
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pape
authors.forename: Romain
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Seil
authors.forename: Koustantiuos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Anagnostakos
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kohn
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D001182:Arthroscopy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010020:Osteonecrosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011300:Preoperative Care; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed