TKA in the treatment of bilateral dysplasia epiphysealis hemimelica (Trevor’s Disease) of the knee in a 50-year-old man: a case report

BACKGROUND: Dysplasia epiphysealis hemimelica (DEH), also known as Trevor’s disease, is a rare skeletal developmental disorder affecting the epiphyses in pediatric patients. DEH is characterized by an asymmetric osteochondral overgrowth arising from either the medial or lateral portion of an epiphysis and usually occurs in the joints of lower limbs, most commonly in the knees and ankles. However, bilateral involvement in an adult is extremely rare, and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for a patient with DEH has been reported only once before. CASE PRESENTATION: Here, we present a case of bilateral DEH of the knees that caused varus deformity and dysfunction of the lower limbs in a 50-year-old man. TKA was performed for treatment, and the patient had satisfactory function with no angular knee deformity and a normal range of motion after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The patient in this case exhibited its specific clinical and radiological features of late-term DEH and TKA was proved to be an appropriate procedure for treating the severe deformity caused by this rare disease.