Enishi Tetsuya, Matsuura Tetsuya, Suzue Naoto, Takahashi Yoshinori, Sairyo Koichi
Department of Orthopedics, Tokushima University Hospital, 2-50-1 Kuramoto, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan.
Adv Orthop. 2014;2014:545438. doi: 10.1155/2014/545438. Epub 2014 Dec 18.
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.
背景。肘部过度使用损伤在青少年棒球运动员中很常见，但有症状的持续性鹰嘴骨骺却很罕见，其发病机制仍不清楚。目的。研究晚期持续性鹰嘴骨骺的组织病理学和影像学表现。方法。对2名年龄分别为14岁和15岁的棒球投手的鹰嘴骨骺进行术前磁共振成像（MRI）检查，并对手术标本进行组织学检查。结果。T2加权MRI显示软骨内信号强度改变，可能与胶原退变和游离水含量增加有关。苏木精-伊红染色标本的组织学结果显示软骨结构完全紊乱、细胞减少、软骨细胞簇形成以及染色适度减弱。所有这些表现都是骨关节炎的特征，提示软骨退变。结论。在有症状的持续性鹰嘴骨骺晚期病例中，生长板退变明显。这些发现有助于理解该疾病的发病机制。
