# Variant of Hoffa disease: a case report

## TL;DR

An 18-year-old woman with chronic knee pain was found to have a variant of Hoffa disease, which was successfully treated with arthroscopic surgery.

## Contribution

This case report highlights a rare variant of Hoffa disease and its successful management through arthroscopic debridement.

## Key findings

- The patient had chronic knee pain unresponsive to medication and physiotherapy.
- Arthroscopic surgery revealed and removed the affected Hoffa fat pad.
- The patient recovered fully and resumed normal activities post-surgery.

## Abstract

This report presents the case of an 18-year-old female student with a low BMI, who was otherwise healthy. She presented with chronic anterior right knee pain persisting for 1 year. The pain began spontaneously and gradually increased in severity, especially during long distance walking and standing for more than 15 minutes. The symptoms did not subside with medication and physiotherapy. All biochemical and radiological investigations to rule out other related possible aetiologies were unremarkable. The patient eventually underwent an arthroscopic knee surgery, during which the intraoperative findings revealed the Hoffa fat pad over the anteromedial knee joint. This was debrided and after surgery, she was symptom free and had resumed her normal activities.