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Osteochondral lesion of the talus in children: Are there MRI findings of instability?

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of our study was to investigate the performance of MRI findings to predict instability of osteochondral lesion of the talus (OLT) in children and the association between skeletal maturity and lesion stability.

Materials and method

This retrospective IRB-approved and HIPPA-compliant study included children with OLT, who underwent an ankle MRI examination between March 1, 2011, and May 31, 2018. Blinded to the clinical outcome, 2 radiologists retrospectively assessed each MRI study for the presence or absence of various features on the articular side, along the interface, and on the subchondral side of each lesion. Regional skeletal maturity was recorded. Lesion stability was classified using clinical and surgical findings. Mann-Whitney U, Chi-square, Fisher’s exact, and Cochran-Armitage tests were used to compare demographic and MRI findings between children with stable and unstable lesions.

Results

Of the 48 ankles identified, 36 were stable (12.7 + 3.9 years) and 12 were unstable (14.2 + 1.6 years) lesions. None of the lesions presented as a detached fragment. Skeletal immaturity (p = 0.01) was significantly more common in stable than unstable lesions. No other MRI features were found to be significantly different between stable and unstable lesions, which included the presence of an effusion (p = 0.27), intra-articular body (p = 0.25), cartilage changes (p = 0.19), subchondral disruption (p = 0.51), T2-weighted signal intensity rim (p = 0.16), cysts (p = 0.48), marginal sclerosis (p = 0.70), and perilesional marrow edema (p = 0.17).

Conclusion

Results from our study suggest that previously published OCD criteria using conventional MRI are not sufficient for predicting stability of OLT in children. Regional skeletal maturity and older age were more predictive of unstable lesions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ, USA

    Maya Patel

  2. Department of Radiology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 3401 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Michael L. Francavilla, Christian A. Barrera, Michael K. Nguyen & Jie C. Nguyen

  3. Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Michael L. Francavilla, J. Todd R. Lawrence & Jie C. Nguyen

  4. Divison of Orthopedic Surgery, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    J. Todd R. Lawrence

  5. University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA

    Cruz Longoria

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  1. Maya Patel
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  2. Michael L. Francavilla
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Correspondence to Jie C. Nguyen.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was not required for this retrospective study.

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Patel, M., Francavilla, M.L., Lawrence, J.T.R. et al. Osteochondral lesion of the talus in children: Are there MRI findings of instability?. Skeletal Radiol 49, 1305–1311 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-020-03436-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-020-03436-6

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