Late Onset of the Fabella Syndrome after Total Knee Arthroplasty

Some differential diagnosis is thought due to knee pain after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and fabella syndrome may cause post-TKA pain due to mechanical irritation. In this present case, a 64-year-old woman experienced lateral knee pain which was localized at the iliotibial ligament 8 years after the surgery. Fabella syndrome was diagnosed, and fabellectomy provided immediate resolution of the pain. The previous reports have revealed the symptoms occurred after 6 days to a year after total knee arthroplasty. This case widens the time span and the consideration of the fabella syndrome. The reason of this late onset symptom could be due to the enlargement of the fabella over time. We report that the differential diagnosis of fabella syndrome should be thought in symptoms of late onset knee pain after total knee arthroplasty.