Osteochondral Defect

Question 1

What’s a chondral defect?

Answer 1

Refers to a focal area of damage to the articular cartilage

Question 2

What’s a osteochondral defect?

Answer 2

Refers to a focal area of damage that involves both the cartilage and a piece of underlying bone

Question 3

What’s the pathology of osteochondral defect?

Answer 3

Can occur acutely or develop as a result of several chronic conditions including:
Separation of the osteochondral fragment caused by an acute traumatic injury or as the end result of unstable fragment in osteochondritis dissect some
Acute osteochondral impaction of the bone with resultant contour deformity
A collapse of the subchondral bone in a subchondral insufficiency fracture or avascular necrosis or a bone collapse uncovering a large subchondral cyst