OSTEOCHONDRITIS DISSECANS

Course overview

OSTEOCHONDRITIS DISSECANS (OCD), ALSO KNOWN AS AN OSTEOCHONDRAL LESION, IS NOT A FULLY UNDERSTOOD PROCESS, THOUGH IT IS BELIEVED TO BE MULTI-FACTORIAL IN ETIOLOGY. OCD IS AN IDIOPATHIC PROCESS AND CAN OCCUR FROM CHILDHOOD THROUGH ADULT LIFE, WITH THE MAJORITY OF PATIENTS PRESENTING IN THEIR TEENAGE YEARS. OSTEOCHONDRAL LESIONS RANGE IN SEVERITY FROM BEING ASYMPTOMATIC TO MILD PAIN OR ADVANCED CASES HAVING SYMPTOMS OF JOINT INSTABILITY AND LOCKING. THE LESIONS CAN PROGRESS FROM STABLE TO FRAGMENTATION OF THE OVERLYING CARTILAGE WITH THE FORMATION OF A LOOSE BODY IN THE AFFECTED JOINT SPACE. EVENTUAL EARLY-ONSET OSTEOARTHRITIC CHANGES OF THE JOINT CAN OCCUR AT ANY LEVEL OF SEVERITY IF NOT DIAGNOSED AND ADEQUATELY MANAGED; THEREFORE, EARLY RECOGNITION AND TREATMENT ARE IMPORTANT TO ACHIEVE FAVORABLE LONG-TERM OUTCOMES. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE ETIOLOGY, PRESENTATION, EVALUATION, AND MANAGEMENT OF OSTEOCHONDRITIS DESSICANS, AND REVIEWS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN EVALUATING, DIAGNOSING, AND MANAGING THE CONDITION.