Osteochondritis dissecans of the knee in an adult with Stickler syndrome.

A 35-year-old man with hereditary progressive arthro-ophthalmopathy (Stickler syndrome) was treated for osteochondritis dissecans of the knee. As has been described in families with this autosomal-dominant connective-tissue disorder, phenotypic variation was present in his family; the patient's primary manifestations of the syndrome were ocular, but his brother had significant joint involvement. Osteochondritis dissecans of the knee may be a component of the arthrosis in this syndrome, but in the current case, the occurrence might have been coincidental. Stickler syndrome can be manifested by multiple musculoskeletal abnormalities, often early in life, and may be mistaken for several other diseases.