Osteochondral lesion of talus with gout tophi deposition: A case report

BACKGROUND: Osteochondral lesion of talus is a broad term used to describe an injury or abnormality of the talar articular cartilage and adjacent bone. It arises from diverse causes, and although trauma is implicated in many cases, it does not account for the etiology of every lesion. Gout is a chronic arthritic disease caused by excess levels of uric acid in blood. Intraosseous deposition of monosodium urate in the clavicle, femur, patella and calcaneus was reported previously. Gout is common disease but rare at a young age, especially during teenage years. Osteochondral lesion caused by intra-articular gouty invasion is very rare. CASE SUMMARY: We encountered a rare case of a 16-year-old male who has osteochondral lesion of the talus (OLT) with gout. He had fluctuating pain for more than 2 years. We could see intra-articular tophi with magnetic resonance image (MRI) and arthroscopy. We performed arthroscopic exploration, debridement and microfracture. Symptoms were resolved after operation, and bony coverage at the lesion was seen on postoperative images. We had checked image and uric acid levels for 18 mo. CONCLUSION: It is rare to see OLT with gouty tophi in young adults. While it is challenging, the accuracy of diagnosis can be improved through history taking, MRI and arthroscopy.