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First Report of Calcification on Lateral Collateral Ligament
A DGReview of :"MR Imaging of Calcification of the Lateral Collateral Ligament of the Knee: A Rare Abnormality and a Cause of Lateral Knee Pain"
American Journal of Roentgenology
07/22/2003
By Guy Furness
Calcification of the lateral collateral ligament (LCL) of the knee, can be a cause of lateral knee pain and could be a result of underlying hydroxyapatite deposition, a Swiss study has found. According to its authors, this was the first report on calcification of the LCL to have been published in the literature.
The study, which was led by Suzanne Anderson, MD, assistant adjunct professor, department of radiology, Inselspital, University of Bern, Switzerland, involved patients with acute lateral knee pain. There was no history of trauma. Radiographs and MR imaging were performed.
In 4 cases drawn from a patient population of 785 consecutive knee magnetic resonance (MR) images, the rare condition of calcification in the region of the LCL was found. In 3 of these cases, MR imaging showed the calcification to be inside the LCL, which was intact but thickened. In these three cases, there was no popliteal tendon calcification and normal bone marrow signal intensity. The ilio-tibial tract was intact.
The patients reported by Dr. Anderson and colleagues were younger (mean age 42.5 years), compared with other studies that reported calcification in other regions of the knee. The pain was also more inflammatory in nature and worsened at night.
The inflammatory nature of the pain and the aggressive MR appearance, the report suggested, meant that LCL calcification mimicked other pathologies associated with inflammation such as joint infection or -- if very painful -- could mimic acute knee trauma.
The researchers proposed hydroxyapatite deposition as the primary mechanism, but noted that the exact etiology of the condition was unknown. One patient presented two years after the study with rotator cuff calcific tendonitis, which the researchers said was, "highly suggestive of hydroxyapatite deposition".
Am J Roentgenol 2003;181:1:199-202.
"MR Imaging of Calcification of the Lateral Collateral Ligament of the Knee: A Rare Abnormality and a Cause of Lateral Knee Pain"
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