Arthroscopic Ulnohumeral Joint Debridement and Transolecranon Microfracture for Osteochondritis Dissecans of the Humeral Trochlea

Abstract

Osteochondritis dissecans of the humeral trochlea is a rare cause of elbow pain adolescents. Despite being a juvenile form of osteochondritis dissecans, spontaneous resolution is not uniform, and more than one-half of patients experience ongoing pain, crepitus and loss of motion. Traditionally, nonsurgical management has been favoured as distal trochlea articular lesions were only accessible via olecranon osteotomy. Consequently, the threshold for intervention is high as the recovery prolonged. We present our technique of accessing the trochlear osteochondritis dissecans via ulnohumeral joint arthroscopy with transolecranon microfracture, which enables these lesions to be managed with reduced morbidity.