Vascularity Visualized by Doppler Sonography as a Predictor of Healing Potential of the OCD of the Humeral Capitellum

OBJECTIVES: The significance of vascularity visualized by Doppler sonography in osteochondritis dissecance (OCD) lesion of the humeral capitellum is unclear. The objectives of this study were twofold: 1) to evaluate the relationship between Doppler ultrasound (US) signals observed in OCD lesion of the humeral capitellum and X-ray stage; 2) to determine if the presence of Doppler US signals in OCD lesion of the humeral capitellum could be the predictor of healing potential. METHODS: Fifty patients with OCD of the humeral capitellum treated conservatively were enrolled in this study. During the conservative treatment period, Doppler sonography was performed on affected elbow to assess the presence of vascularity in the OCD lesion (Figure 1), and radiographic examination were evaluated on the same day to determine the X-ray stage (stage I: radiolucent stage, stage II: fragmentation stage, and stage III: loose body stage) of the OCD lesion (Figure 2). Radiographic examination of the elbow was examined after 6 weeks to evaluate the healing of the lesion. If the size of the lesion decreased or new bone formations were observed around the fragments, the healing of the lesion was considered to be improve. The χ2 test was used to determine if the presence of Doppler US signals were related to X-ray stage and the improvement of the healing. P < 0.05 was considered significant for all statistical analyses. RESULTS: The Doppler US signals in OCD lesions were positive in 23 patients and negative in 27 patients. Of these patients, 19 were X-ray stage I, 17 were stage II, and 9 were stage III. The healing of OCD lesions improved in 78.2% for the positive Doppler US signal group, but only 18.5% for the negative Doppler US signal group (Figure 3). The presence of the Doppler US signal was significantly related to the improvement of healing (P = 0.00002). The Doppler US signal were positive in 78.9% for stage I, 36.4% for stage II, and 0.0% for stage III (Figure 4). The presence of Doppler US signal was significantly related to early X-ray stage (P = 0.0002). CONCLUSION: From this study, the presence of vascularity in the OCD lesion of the humeral capitellum is important for the improvement of healing during the conservative treatment period. The vascularity visualized by Doppler sonography could be a useful predictor for healing potential of the OCD of the humeral capitellum when treated conservatively.