Synonyms
Osteochondrosis of the elbow joint
Introduction
The disease known as Panner’s disease is a bone necrosis that occurs in the area of the elbow joint. In most cases, the affected patients are children and adolescents. As a rule, children between the ages of 6 and 10 are mainly affected. In adults, bone necrosis known as Panner’s disease is not usually observed.
These symptoms exist
The clinical symptoms of Panner’s disease are quite unspecific, especially at the beginning of the disease, and can be assigned to a number of joint and bone diseases. Most children suffering from Panner’s disease describe increasing pain over the course of the disease, which can be intensified by stressing the elbow joint. Under resting conditions, these pains decrease significantly in most cases.
However, completely pain-free intervals are rare in Panner disease without appropriate therapy. In addition, the pain can be provoked by direct pressure on the elbow. In addition, severe swelling of the affected elbow joints can often be observed.
In the course of the disease, the joint also becomes progressively stiffer. This stiffness can last for several months under certain circumstances. In addition, the range of movement is also severely restricted from the very beginning.
This manifests itself mainly in a limitation of the extension of the arm. Panner disease is a disease with a chronic course that can last for up to three years. In addition, some of the affected children report the repeated occurrence of distinct rubbing and grinding noises in the area of the elbow joint. In the rarest cases of Panner disease, the structures of the elbow joint become trapped.
What are the stages of Panner’s disease?
In Panner’s disease, imaging diagnostics are used to differentiate bone necrosis into four different stages, which occur consecutively. In stage I, sclerosis is recognizable. There are bone thickenings that are particularly pronounced below the cartilage of the elbow joint (subchondral sclerosis).
In stage II, a loosening of the internal structures of the joint near the joint surface becomes apparent. It is the fragmentation stage. Stage III is characterized by osteolysis.
Bone tissue is destroyed, resulting in a reduction in the size of the epiphysis, the bone end of the humerus. In stage IV, imaging shows how the epiphysis of the humerus regenerates due to bodily repair processes.
- Stage I
- Stage II
- Stage III
- Stage IV
