Posttraumatic Cartilage Calcification of the Knee: A Case Report

Calcium deposits are often seen at tendon insertions around the joint and causes acute periarthritis mimicking gouty arthritis or pseudogout.1 It is reported that calcium deposition other thanmonosodium urate or calciumpyrophosphate dihydrate occurs in articular cartilages or menisci of the knee with aging or progression of osteoarthritis.2,3 However, the size of the deposit of calcium-containing crystals is tiny and seldom detected by conventional radiography. Our case concerns a 24-year-old woman with a large calcium deposit in the articular cartilage of the tibial plateau. An antecedent minor trauma may have contributed to the calcium deposition. This is the first report that demonstrated how a painful well-defined calcium deposit was detected by conventional radiography within the articular cartilage.