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Chondromalacia of trochlear notch after healing of olecranon stress fracture: a case report

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Abstract

Introduction: Chondromalacia of the trochlear notch and stress fracture of olecranon are uncommon injuries in the throwing athletes. Materials and methods: We report an 18-year-old high school pitcher who had persistent postero-lateral elbow pain after a healed olecranon stress fracture of the right elbow. Diagnostic arthroscopy revealed chondromalacia of the trochlear notch. Results: After treatment with arthroscopic drilling and abrasion chondroplasty, he returned to competitive pitching 1 year later postsurgery. This rare association between chondromalacia and stress fracture of the olecranon has not been reported previously in the literatures. Conclusion: Chondromalacia of the trochlear notch should be included as a differential diagnosis in evaluating athletes with persistent elbow pain after healed olecranon stress fractures.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Miss. Jui-Yu Cheng, Miss. Shu-Hua Ko, and Miss. Shu-Fang Chen in the preparation of this manuscript.

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Correspondence to Pei-Hsi Chou.

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Lu, CC., Chen, SK., Wang, CW. et al. Chondromalacia of trochlear notch after healing of olecranon stress fracture: a case report. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg 126, 271–274 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00402-005-0056-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00402-005-0056-7

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