Treatment Strategy of Fractured Osteochondroma in the Young Athlete's Knee

Purpose: The main purpose of this study was to compare the clinical outcome of surgery versus observation in young athletes with fractured osteochondromas in the knee. The secondary aim was to evaluate displacement versus non-displacement fractures with regards to functional recovery. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed in young athletes with fractures of osteochondromas in the knee. In the surgery group, resection of the osteochondromas was performed due to pain persisting at 4 weeks after injury. In contrast, patients with pain diminishing within 4 weeks after injury were observed without surgery. Displacement was defined as a gap widening of >= 1 mm between fragments, or translation of >50% of the distal fragment in relation to the proximal fragment. The time to return to the original sport was compared between groups. Results: The study sample was composed of 21 patients with a mean age of 12 years (range 9-16 years). There were 14 patients in the surgery group and 7 patients in the observation group. There were 10 patients (71%) with displacement and 4 patients (29%) with non-displacement fractures in the surgery group. Surgery was required more frequently in displacement than in non-displacement fracture patients (p = 0.01). The mean time to return to the original sport was 2.1 +/- 1.1 and 7.2 +/- 4.1 weeks in the surgery and observation groups, respectively (p < 0.01). Conclusions: Surgical excision is preferable in a young athlete's knee presenting with displacement of fractured osteochondromas due to disabling symptoms and in order to allow them to return faster to original sports activities.