CASE REPORT   

Il Giornale Italiano di Radiologia Medica 2019 Novembre-Dicembre;6(6):594-600

DOI: 10.23736/S2283-8376.19.00245-6

Copyright © 2019 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English, Italian

Treatment of calcific tendinopathy of knee with bone calcium migration

Mattia PECORILLA ¹ ✉, Maria A. LOMBARDI ², Mauro B. GALLAZZI ³

¹ School in Radiodiagnostics, University of Milan, Milan, Italy; ² Unit of Radiology, Azienda Sociosanitaria Territoriale Gaetano Pini, Centro Specialistico Traumatologico e Ortopedico Pini-CTO, Milan, Italy

Calcific tendinopathy is a very common disease found in 3% of adults and it rarely involves knee. Sometimes calcifications dissolve and migrate into bone causing cortical erosions, subcortical calcium migrations and intramedullary diffusion. The case of a 73-year-old with knee pain is reported. Radiography showed calcifications in the medial side of knee in addition to osteoarthritis signs. Computed tomography confirmed the presence of several calcifications under sartorius muscle, one with bone extension characterized by focal erosion with sclerotic margins, associated with intramedullary calcifications in medial femoral condyle. At this level magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed calcium foci surrounded by osseous edema. These findings suggested for calcific tendinopathy with subcortical calcium migration. Calcifications were treated with ultrasound-guided percutaneous irrigation with size reduction. Patient’s symptoms regressed immediately with gain of function and improve of quality of life. Follow-up MRI confirmed reduction of calcifications size without residual bone edema.

KEY WORDS: Knee; Pain; Tendinopathy