Accessory ossicles are normal variants that are frequently seen but often overlooked or misdiagnosed. Commonly seen at the foot and ankle, they may be mistaken for fracture fragments or loose bodies, or not be recognised as a cause of the patient's symptoms. This pictorial essay aimed to review commonly encountered accessory ossicles of the foot and ankle by highlighting anatomic landmarks and associated pathologic processes through the use of both basic and advanced imaging modalities, in an effort to increase awareness of these clinical entities.
Adult ; Aged, 80 and over ; Ankle Joint ; diagnostic imaging ; Female ; Foot ; diagnostic imaging ; Fractures, Bone ; diagnostic imaging ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Sesamoid Bones ; diagnostic imaging ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

The fabella has been considered to have a minor clinical significance. However, there have been a few reports describing the fabella as one of the causes of peroneal nerve palsy (PNP). This report describes a 66-year-old farmer who complained of acute neurologic symptoms involving the fabella. Surgical extirpation was performed and neurologic function was recovered dramatically. Recently, there have been no published reports on fabella syndrome with common PNP. Here, we report an unusual case of common PNP with the fabella as a cause.
Aged ; Farmers ; Humans ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Paralysis* ; Peroneal Nerve* ; Sesamoid Bones

The fabella is a small sesamoid bone generally located in the tendon of the lateral head of the gastrocnemius behind the lateral condyle of the femur. Fabella syndrome is the occurrence of posterolateral knee pain associated with the fabella. It is a rare cause of knee pain that is often misdiagnosed. Fabella syndrome can be managed with conservative or surgical treatment. We applied radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy as a new treatment strategy for fabella syndrome and achieved a successful outcome.
Femur ; Head ; Humans ; Knee ; Sesamoid Bones ; Shock* ; Tendons ; Ultrasonography

INTRODUCTIONThe fabella, a sesamoid bone sometimes found in the lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle, often articulates directly with the lateral femoral condyle. This study aimed to determine the incidence of fabellae in an Asian population and to characterise the radiological features of the fabella.

METHODSElectronic radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging films of 80 consecutive patients who underwent knee arthroscopy between May 2005 and October 2009 were reviewed to determine the presence and characteristics of the fabella.

RESULTSThe incidence of fabellae was 31.25% in our study cohort. The median length, thickness, width and distance of the fabella from the lateral femoral condyle were 7.06 mm, 4.89 mm, 6.12 mm and 33.19 mm, respectively. The fabella was consistently bony and located in the lateral head of the gastrocnemius, with 52% of the fabellae having an articulating facet. Fabellae in men were found to be larger than in women, although the difference was not statistically significant. The presence of an articulating groove was associated with increased size of the fabella, but not with the distance between the fabella and its insertion onto the lateral head of the gastrocnemius.

CONCLUSIONThe incidence of fabellae in our population was lower than that in regional studies. They were consistently bony and not all had articulating grooves on the lateral femoral condyle. We found that the larger the fabella, the higher the chances of it having an articulating groove. By defining the radiological characteristics of the fabella, we provide objective parameters to help differentiate the fabella from other loose bodies or calcifications in the knee.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Arthroscopy ; Asia ; Cohort Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Knee Joint ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Muscle, Skeletal ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Radiography ; Sesamoid Bones ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Sex Factors ; Young Adult

The hallucal interphalangeal sesamoid bone is usually asymptomatic, but it is not uncommon for it to be symptomatic in cases of undue pressure, overuse, or trauma. Even in symptomatic cases, however, patients often suffer for extended periods due to misdiagnosis, resulting in depression and anxiety that can steadily worsen to the extent that symptoms are sometimes mistaken for a somatoform disorder. Dynamic ultrasound-guided evaluations can be an effective means of detecting symptomatic sesamoid bones, and a simple injection of a small dose of local anesthetics mixed with steroids is an easily performed and effective treatment option in cases, for example, of tenosynovitis.
Anesthetics, Local ; Anxiety ; Depression ; Diagnostic Errors ; Humans ; Sesamoid Bones ; Somatoform Disorders ; Steroids ; Tenosynovitis

A sesamoid bone can occasionally be found under the interphalangeal joint of the hallux. These had anatomical variants and usually remain asymptomatic, it is uncommon for symptomatic cases of painful plantar keratoses or irreducible dislocation of interphalangeal joint of the hallux with incarcerated sesamoid. While the latter has a few cases, the former has not reported in Korea. We experienced a rare case of intractable plantar keratoses due to interphalangeal sesamoid bone of the hallux which may reqire excision.
Dislocations ; Hallux ; Joints ; Keratosis ; Korea ; Sesamoid Bones

PURPOSE: To treat hallux valgus in old age patients with chevron metatarsal osteotomy and to see the subsequent clinical and radiological outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 23 cases of 18 hallux valgus patients of age 60 years or older who received proximal or distal corrective osteotomy from April 2007 to August 2009 and were followed up for at least 1 year were included in the study. The mean age at operation was 65 years (range, 60~81 years), and the mean follow-up period was 2 years and 6 months (range, 1 year~3 years 6 months). Clinical outcome was assessed with the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score, complications, satisfaction rate, as well as measurements and comparison of pre- and postoperative hallux valgus angles, the 1st~2nd intermetatarsal angle, and the position of hallucal medial sesamoid bone. RESULTS: The AOFAS score was improved from preoperative average of 35.1 (range, 13-47) to average 85.1 at last follow-up (range, 75-100). Patients were satisfied about the operation in 21 cases (91.3%). Preoperative hallux valgus angle was 31.7degrees on average (range, 19.1degrees-48.9degrees), and 4.9degrees on average at last follow-up (range, 0.3degrees-21.2degrees). The 1st~2nd intermetatarsal angle was 14.4degrees on average (range, 8.7degrees-25.7degrees) and 3.1degrees on average at last follow-up (range, 0.6degrees-7.5degrees). The hallucal medial sesamoid bone position was improved from preoperative average 3.5 (range, 3-4) to postoperative average 1.0 (range, 0-2). CONCLUSION: Proximal and distal metatarsal osteotomy treatment yielded good clinical and radiological outcomes in old age hallux valgus patients.
Animals ; Ankle ; Follow-Up Studies ; Foot ; Hallux ; Hallux Valgus ; Humans ; Metatarsal Bones ; Osteotomy ; Sesamoid Bones

Dislocation of the interphalangeal joint of the great toe is a condition which is reported rarely. Especially, it is extremely rarely reported as for the case of neglected dislocation. Here, we report one case of neglected dislocation for 6 weeks of the interphalangeal joint of the great toe. Reduction followed by a push of the incarcerated sesamoid bone based on dorsal approach, was done successfully, and we found satisfactory results after a 4 years of follow-up.
Dislocations ; Follow-Up Studies ; Joints ; Sesamoid Bones ; Toes

The hand consists of five sesamoids. Two of them are present at the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint of the thumb. Fracture of the sesamoid bones of the thumb is a rare injury and the literature on the radial side is seldom reported. We reported a case of a patient with a fracture of the radial sesamoid at the MCP joint of the thumb in order to increase attention regarding this type of injuries. A 44-year-old male, high level gymnastic trainer, was helping one of his athletes during an exercise while he reported a hyperextension trauma to the MCP joint of the right thumb. One week after trauma, he presented to the hand surgeon complaining of a painful thumb at the MCP joint level on its palmar aspect. Standard A-P and lateral X-rays revealed a fracture of the radial sesamoid and the fracture was treated with a splint for 3 weeks. He was able to resumed his entire work 6 weeks after the injury. The sesamoid fractures is an indicator of the magnitude of the hyperextension injury and sometimes associated with tears of the volar plate ligament of the MCP joint. And a failure to recognize the ligament injury may lead to a long-term hyperextension instability on pinching.
Fractures, Bone ; diagnostic imaging ; Humans ; Metacarpophalangeal Joint ; injuries ; Radiography ; Sesamoid Bones ; Thumb ; injuries

PURPOSE: To analyze relation between age or parameters measured before operation and cartilage erosion of the first metatarsal head measured during operation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was targeted at 56 patients and 79 feet, who underwent Scarf osteotomy or Scarf and Akin osteotomy from November 2009 through November 2010, and whose cartilage lesion of the first metatarsal head referred to the cartilage grade III or IV of the International Cartilage Repair Society. The measurement parameters were age, hallux valgus angle, intermetatarsal angle (1~2), tibial sesamoid position, proximal articular set angle and distal articular set angle. The cartilage erosion of the first metatarsal head was measured by one surgeon using cellophane. Occupancy rate and frequent involved sites of the cartilage erosion were recorded using AutoCAD(R) and adobe Illustrator CS4 program. SPSS correlation test and T-test were used for statistical analysis of the parameters and the cartilage erosion. RESULTS: The cartilage erosion was incurred frequently in the sagittal groove and the site where subluxation or dislocation of the tibial sesamoild bone occurred but frequent involved sites had no statistical significance with cartilage erosion. The age showed a statistical significance with the cartilage erosion in the correlation test (p=0.003). Especially, the group of over 51 year old patients was turned out to have association with the cartilage erosion, compared to the group of below 51 (p=0.007). But, hallux valgus angle, intermetatarsal angle (1~2), tibial sesamoid position, proximal articular set angle and distal articular set angle were no statistical significance with the cartilage erosion. CONCLUSION: We found the more the age of patients increased (especially above 51), the more cartilage erosion increased. And it is thought that we pay attention to reduce tibial sesamoid bone.
Cartilage ; Cellophane ; Dislocations ; Foot ; Hallux ; Hallux Valgus ; Head ; Humans ; Metatarsal Bones ; Osteotomy ; Sesamoid Bones