Case: Lower limb radiograph #81046941
Lower limb Intermediate
Read this radiograph systematically before revealing the answer. What is the main abnormality?
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Answer: Knee joint effusion
What to look for in knee joint effusion
- On the lateral view, soft-tissue density distends the suprapatellar recess between the quadriceps fat pad and the prefemoral fat pad.
- In trauma, a fat–fluid level on a horizontal-beam lateral (lipohaemarthrosis) implies an intra-articular fracture.
- Effusion alone is non-specific.
Description by the image author (may be in another language): X-ray with skyline view of the knee of a 14 year old male who dislocated his knee. X-ray shows an increased space under the patella, indicating knee effusion , and it also has slightly lateral subluxation . There is a small radiodense object medially (to the right) to the patella, probably consisting of soft tissue calcification rather than a fracture.
Educational case. The diagnosis comes from the image's documented source; the "what to look for" list describes the condition in general and is not a report of this individual image.
