Strontium-85 uptake in knee joints with osteochondritis dissecans

The uptake of Strontium-85 in the distal end of the femur and in the immediate vicinity of the lesion was measured in 12 young men with osteochondritis dissecans. The uptake was significantly but only slightly increased. It was confined to the area of the lesion, was less than observed in early cases of gonarthrosis and an order of magnitude less that in cases of osteonecrosis. It is concluded that the repair process of osteochondritis dissecans is very slow and involves only a minor part of the bone tissue surrounding the lesion. (author)