title: Pediatric Knee Osteochondritis Dissecans Lesions.
abstract: Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) can cause knee pain and dysfunction in children. The etiology of OCD remains unclear; theories on causes include inflammation, ischemia, ossification abnormalities, genetic factors, and repetitive microtrauma. Most OCD lesions in skeletally immature patients will heal with nonoperative treatment. The success of nonoperative treatment decreases once patients reach skeletal maturity. The goals of surgical treatment include maintenance of articular cartilage congruity, rigid fixation of unstable fragments, and repair of osteochondral defects with cells or tissues that can adequately replace lost or deficient cartilage. Unsalvageable OCD lesions can be treated with various surgical techniques.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hasbro Children's Hospital, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 2 Dudley Street, Suite 200, Providence, RI 02906, USA. Electronic address: aristides_cruz@brown.edu.
authors.forename: Aristides I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.affiliation: St. Luke's Children's Hospital, Boise, ID 83702, USA.
authors.forename: Kevin G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Shea
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Theodore J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Ganley
mesh_terms: D018771:Arthralgia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D010008:Osteochondritis Dissecans / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery
keywords: Cartilage; Chondral; Knee pain; Knee swelling; Sports medicine