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Clinical benefit of SPECT/CT for follow-up of surgical treatment of osteochondritis dissecans

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Abstract

We present the case of a 17-year-old ice-hockey player, who complained about persistent left medial knee pain having undergone a refixation of a grade III osteochondritis dissecans with biodegradable pins, a reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and a medial meniscal repair 1 year previously. Sequential MRIs performed 8 and 12 months after surgery were inconclusive, and failed to show the insufficient integration of the osteochondral fragment. Combined single photon emission and conventional computerized tomography (SPECT/CT) clearly revealed the cause of the patient’s persistent knee problems—the osteochondral fragment had not integrated. SPECT/CT may hold great clinical value for symptomatic patients who have previously undergone treatment for osteochondral lesions, and it should be considered as alternative diagnostic imaging modality.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Musculoskeletal Surgery Department, Imperial College, London, UK

    Praveen Konala, Farhad Iranpour & Michael T. Hirschmann

  2. Institute for Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Kantonsspital Bruderholz, 4101, Bruderholz, Switzerland

    Anna Kerner & Helmut Rasch

  3. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, Kantonsspital Bruderholz, 4101, Bruderholz, Switzerland

    Niklaus F. Friederich & Michael T. Hirschmann

Authors
  1. Praveen Konala
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  2. Farhad Iranpour
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  3. Anna Kerner
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  4. Helmut Rasch
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  5. Niklaus F. Friederich
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  6. Michael T. Hirschmann
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Correspondence to Michael T. Hirschmann.

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Konala, P., Iranpour, F., Kerner, A. et al. Clinical benefit of SPECT/CT for follow-up of surgical treatment of osteochondritis dissecans. Ann Nucl Med 24, 621–624 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12149-010-0391-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12149-010-0391-9

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