Köhler Disease eMedicine Orthopedics

Description: In 1908, Köhler first described the disease named in his honor. This clinical entity belongs to a group of conditions called osteochondroses, which have been reported since 1903. Approximately 40 different osteochondroses are reported in the literature. In these self-limited diseases, there is avascular necrosis of primary or secondary centers of ossification; almost all of the epiphyses, apophyses, and small bones can be implicated. The etiology of these conditions is not well known, but vascular accidents, coagulation anomalies, and heredity have been implicated. The most common osteochondroses are Legg-Perthes-Calve, Osgood-Schlatter, Sinding-Larsen-Johansson, Kienbock, Freiberg, and Panner diseases.
Synonyms and related keywords: avascular necrosis of tarsal navicula, osteochondritis of tarsal navicula, Kohler disease, Kohler's disease, Köhler's disease, osteochondroses, osteonecrosis of the foot, foot osteonecrosis
Bernardo Vargas-Barreto, MD & Mark Clayer, MD 2007