Osteochondritis Dissecans of the Talus
This condition is one that usually affects the talus, the bone under the tibia, and is usually associated with some sort of ankle trauma. Often there is a sudden force to the talus, usually with a twisting injury, where the cartilage and the bone underneath it are injured.
Keeping in mind that a joint is where one bone meets another, and that most joints are covered with smooth cartilage on the surfaces where the bones touch each other, this condition occurs usually most often traumatically when the cartilage and underlying bone is injured, with fracture occurring, and possible displacement of the fragment.
Here are some examples of injuries to the talus, where both the cartilage on top and bone underneath are affected. Sometimes the piece can be loose, and sometimes it remains attached.
Usually, in cases where the symptoms continue despite periods of rest and immobilization (cast or walker boot), arthroscopic surgery is required to remove the loose piece.
This procedure, where the arthroscope (a small telescope) is used to look into the ankle, involves involves removing the small piece and roughing up the surface from which the piece came to induce new cartilage to grow. This surgery is usually done on an outpatient basis. Sometimes a transplant of a graft of cartilage and bone is needed to repair the defect.
