title: Comparative study of elbow disorders in young high-performance gymnasts.
abstract: The study aimed to investigate the prognosis of osteochondral affection (e.g., osteochondritis dissecans (OCD), cartilage lesions, fractures and bone edema in the elbows of high-performance gymnasts (n=30) compared to prognosis results with athletes not undergoing excessive stress on the upper extremity (n=29). The study also tested a novel isotropic 3D-FSE-sequence (CUBE) technique as an early diagnostic modality. Standard protocol was used to conduct the MRI examinations, which were then compared to results from the CUBE - sequence. The gymnast group (p=0.012) presented a significantly higher prevalence of complaints in the elbow joint compared to the other athlete group. Furthermore, osteochondral lesions in MRIs appeared more frequently in the group of gymnasts (n=10, 33%, p=0.033), including 7 cases (23%) of OCD. In the control athlete group 2 asymptomatic cases of OCD and one case of bone edema were detected. The MRI investigation with the CUBE - sequence showed similar results as the standard MRI protocol in terms of the diagnosis sensitivity. The current study indicates that juvenile gymnasts are at a higher risk for osteochondral lesions of the elbow than athletes without excessive stress on the upper extremities.
authors.affiliation: University Center for Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dexel
authors.affiliation: University Center for Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Marschner
authors.affiliation: University Center for Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Platzek
authors.affiliation: University Center for Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wasnik
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schuler
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nasreddin
authors.affiliation: University Center for Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kasten
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000293:injuries; D002648:Child; D004487:Edema / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000175:diagnosis; D006173:Gymnastics / Q000293:injuries*; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D010008:Osteochondritis Dissecans / Q000175:diagnosis*; D000092464:Elbow Injuries