Clinical outcomes in patients with Ficat stage I and II spontaneous osteonecrosis of the knee treated conservatively at an institution in southwestern Colombia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58814/01208845.591Keywords:
Knee, Osteonecrosis, Conservative TreatmentAbstract
Introduction: Knee osteonecrosis (ON) is a rare pathology with diverse clinical presentation and variable outcomes, sometimes leading to severe osteoarthritis.
Objective: To present the clinical outcomes in patients with spontaneous osteonecrosis of the knee (SONK) Ficat stage I and II treated conservatively at a clinic in southwestern Colombia following an institutional management protocol.
Materials and methods: Patients with suspected SONK treated conservatively between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2022, were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical improvement was assessed at a 12-week follow-up based on radiological progression according to the Ficat classification and the presence of pain.
Results: A total of 24 patients were included: 13 left knees and 11 right knees. The mean age was 69.7 ± 7.4 years. 58.3% were women. Sixteen knees had SONK stage I and eight had stage II. At a median follow-up of 4 months (range 3 to 12 months), progression was observed in 16.7% of cases with Ficat stage I, and no progression in patients with stage II. A favorable response was observed in 83.3% of cases, with no disease progression and no pain.
Conclusion: In cases of early-stage osteonecrosis of the knee (FICAT I and II), conservative management offers good results with a low rate of disease progression. In patients with atraumatic knee pain, further studies (MRI) are recommended to obtain an early diagnosis and prevent joint morbidity following collapse.
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