dorsal defect of the patella
Dorsal defects of the patella are benign subchondral lesions of unknown etiology and a normal developmental anomaly of the patella, which can be mistaken for a pathological process such as a focus of infection or osteochondritis dissecans.
Epidemiology
Dorsal defect of patella occurs in males and females with equal frequency and is most frequently found in adolescents. It is bilateral in up to one-third of individuals.
Clinical presentation
This condition often is asymptomatic and an incidental finding on knee imaging, but it occasionally may be the cause of knee pain.
Radiographic features
Plain radiograph and CT
A rounded focus of radiolucency surrounded by a sclerotic margin in the superolateral quadrant of the patella.
MRI
On MR, this defect is similar to many other bony lesions:
- T1: low signal
- T2: high signal
Notably, the lesion has a sclerotic rim and is not associated with marrow edema.
Treatment and prognosis
A dorsal defect of the patella is one of the skeletal "do not touch" lesions, therefore because of its characteristic location, it should not undergo biopsy.
Differential diagnosis
- osteochondritis dissecans
- typically inferomedial
- articular cartilage involvement
Related pathology
Siehe auch:
und weiter:
Assoziationen und Differentialdiagnosen zu dorsaler Patelladefekt:
