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Physical Therapy or Surgery for Bone Problem? MRI Breaks the Tie
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Posted on: 05/20/2002
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Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is a special kind of bone problem that usually affects older children and young adults. With OCD, there is a loss of blood supply to a small portion of bone. That piece of bone gets separated from the main bone and begins to die. The body tries to heal itself by filling in the space between the main bone (called the parent bone) and the separated bone. This sometimes helps bring blood back to the area.
OCD can be treated with physical therapy or surgery. But which treatment is best? Most studies show that results are the same with either approach. Surgery is usually saved for older patients with severe pain, swelling, and loss of motion.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can help doctors decide how to treat OCD. MRI shows details that can't be seen with X-rays. MRI clearly shows the location and stage of OCD. It also shows the condition of the bone fragment, fill-in tissue, and parent bone.
Recently, MRI was used to evaluate the results of either physical therapy or surgery for young patients (under age 16) with OCD. Results showed that these patients did better with physical therapy.
MRI helps doctors examine the condition of bone and decide which treatment to use for OCD. Surgery is best for patients with a higher stage of OCD. In the higher stage, there isn't enough fill-in tissue between the separated bone and the parent bone. The separated bone is loose and may become detatched.
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References:
Ingke Jürgensen, MD, et al. Arthroscopic Versus Conservative Treatment of Osteochondritis Dissecans of the Knee: Value of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Therapy Planning and Follow-up. In Arthroscopy. April 2002. Vol. 18. No. 4. Pp. 378-386.
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*Disclaimer:*The information contained herein is compiled from a variety of sources. It may not be complete or timely. It does not cover all diseases, physical conditions, ailments or treatments. The information should NOT be used in place of visit with your healthcare provider, nor should you disregard the advice of your health care provider because of any information you read in this topic. |
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