Cartilage Degeneration at Symptomatic Persistent Olecranon Physis in Adolescent Baseball Players

Background. Elbow overuse injuries are common in adolescent baseball players, but symptomatic persistent olecranon physis is rare, and its pathogenesis remains unclear. Purpose. To examine the histopathological and imaging findings of advanced persistent olecranon physis. Methods. The olecranon phys...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Advances in Orthopedics 2014-01, Vol.2014 (2014), p.94-97
Main Authors: Takahashi, Yoshinori, Suzue, Naoto, Matsuura, Tetsuya, Enishi, Tetsuya, Sairyo, Koichi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abnormalities
Arthritis
Baseball
Baseball players
Bones
Care and treatment
Cartilage
Elbow
Fractures
Injuries
Magnetic resonance imaging
Pain
Pathogenesis
Sports injuries
Sports medicine
Teenage athletes
Teenagers
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Summary:Background. Elbow overuse injuries are common in adolescent baseball players, but symptomatic persistent olecranon physis is rare, and its pathogenesis remains unclear. Purpose. To examine the histopathological and imaging findings of advanced persistent olecranon physis. Methods. The olecranon physes of 2 baseball pitchers, aged 14 and 15 years, were examined by preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and surgical specimens were examined histologically. Results. T2-weighted MRI revealed alterations in the intrachondral signal intensity possibly related to collagen degeneration and increased free water content. Histological findings of specimens stained with hematoxylin-eosin showed complete disorganization of the cartilage structure, hypocellularity, chondrocyte cluster formation, and moderately reduced staining. All these findings are hallmarks of osteoarthritis and are suggestive of cartilage degeneration. Conclusion. Growth plate degeneration was evident in advanced cases of symptomatic persistent olecranon physis. These findings contribute to understanding the pathogenesis of this disease.
ISSN:2090-3464
2090-3472
2090-3472
DOI:10.1155/2014/545438