Aims. Aneurysmal bone cysts (ABCs) are locally aggressive lesions typically found in the long bones of children and adolescents. A variety of management strategies have been reported to be effective in the treatment of these lesions. The purpose of this review was to assess the effectiveness of current strategies for the management of primary ABCs of the long bones. Methods. A systematic review of the published literature was performed to identify all articles relating to the management of primary ABCs. Studies required a minimum 12-month follow-up and case series reporting on under ten participants were not included. Results. A total of 28 articles meeting the eligibility criteria were included in this review, and all but one were retrospective in design. Due to heterogeneity in study design, treatment, and outcome reporting, data synthesis and group comparison was not possible. The most common treatment option reported on was surgical curettage with or without a form of adjuvant therapy, followed by injection-based therapies. Of the 594 patients treated with curettage across 17 studies, 86 (14.4%) failed to heal or experienced a recurrence. Similar outcomes were reported for 57 (14.70%) of the 387 patients treated with injection therapy across 12 studies. Only one study directly compared curettage with injection therapy (polidocanol), randomizing 94 patients into both treatment groups. This study was at risk of bias and provided low-quality evidence of a lack of difference between the two interventions, reporting success rates of 93.3% and 84.8% for injection and surgical treatment groups, respectively. Conclusion. While both surgery and sclerotherapy are widely implemented for treatment of ABCs, there is currently no good quality evidence to support the use of one option over the other. There is a need for prospective multicentre randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on interventions for the treatment of ABCs. Cite this article: Bone Jt Open 2021;2(2):125–133

Haemangiomas are benign tumours with increased number of normal or abnormal appearing blood vessels. They are the commonest soft tissue tumours of infancy and childhood and comprise 7% of all soft tissue tumours. Our study is a retrospective analysis of 120 referred cases of various vascular anomalies in the last 10 years. Eighty cases had confirmed haemangiomas. MRI scan and needle biopsy formed the basis of diagnosis. M:F = 42:38. Mean age at presentation was 34.8 years, with the youngest and eldest patient being 3.5 and 78 years respectively. 5 patients were lost to study. Sites of occurrence were upper limb(32), lower limb(32), axilla(3), foot(5), thumb(1), knee(4), spine(1), posterior chest wall(2). 55/80 patients were managed non-operatively by way of Sclerotherapy/Embolisation, watchful observation or symptomatic treatment. 4/55 cases were assessed to be unsuitable for sclerotherapy and 1 patient was subjected to surgery. 6/55 cases did not respond to sclerotherapy. 25/55 cases were managed with surgical excision. Complete excision was the primary goal of surgery. Intralesional margins were accepted if lesions were close to neurovascular structures. Indications for surgery were 1) Pain with functional and/or developmental disturbance, 2) Sudden increase in size, 3) Recurrent haemarthrosis, 4) Failure of sclerotherapy. There were 3 cases of incomplete excision among those operated. 6/25 cases had recurrence 1-8 years after surgery. Mean follow-up was 38.4 weeks (range6-12 months). We have had a success rate of 81.48% with non-operative management of symptomatic haemangiomas. Surgical excision of haemangiomas has borne 76% satisfactory results for pain relief/functional recovery. We believe that extensive haemangiomata covering large surface areas are not suitable for surgical excision. Majority of cases can be successfully managed non-operatively by way of sclerotherapy/embolisation and watchful observation. MRI scan coupled with trucut needle biopsy has been most successful for diagnosis. Highly vascular sarcomata can mimic haemangiomas, hence histological diagnosis is crucial

Aim. To present our experience and results of percutaneus sclerotherapy of aneurysmal bone cysts (ABC). Method. All patients from January 2007 to September 2009, where radiology and cytology were consistent with ABC (n=20), were treated with repeated injections of 30 mg/ml polidocanol. The mean age was 16 (5-27) years. There were 13 lesions in the long bones, 2 in the pelvic bones, 2 in the sacrum, 2 in the foot, and 1 in a finger. The sclerotherapy was performed under fluoroscopic or CT guidance and under local or general anesthesia. Each injection consisted of 2 mg polidocanol per kg body weight. Three injections with an interval of 4 weeks were most commonly scheduled. Radiological assessment was performed regularly after the last injection. Injections were continued if the lesion had not healed. Results. All patients were successfully treated after mean 3.5 (1-11) injections. The patient with an ABC and pathologic fracture in a finger needed 11 injections. No patient was operated. The only side effect was in 2 patients who experienced local inflammatory reaction during 2 weeks after the sclerotherapy. Conclusion. Our results are in concordance with published data from India, showing that percutaneus sclerotherapy with polidocanol is a safe alternative to surgery for the treatment of ABC. It is especially valuable in the pelvis and sacrum where surgery is associated with considerable morbidity

Introduction and Objective. Aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC) of the spine is a locally aggressive benign lesion which can be treated by en bloc resection with wide margin to reduce the risk of local recurrence. To avoid morbidity associated with surgery, selective arterial embolization (SAE) can be considered the first-line treatment for ABCs of the spine. Other emerging treatments for ABCs include bisphosphonates, percutaneous doxycycline, sclerotherapy and Denosumab. In addition, we previously introduced the use of autologous bone marrow concentrate (BMC) injection therapy to stimulate bone healing and regeneration in ABC of the spine. One of the potential advantages of such a method is that surgical treatments are not necessary, thus allowing for both a minimally invasive approach and the treatment of poorly accessible lesions. In this prospective study we described the clinical and radiological outcomes of percutaneous injection of autologous BMC in a series of patients affected by ABCs of the spine and followed for at least one year. Materials and Methods. Fourteen patients (6 male, 8 female) were treated between June 2014 to December 2019 with BMC injection for ABC of the spine. The mean age was 17.85 years. The mean follow up was 37.4 months (range 12– 60 months). The dimension of the cyst and the degree of ossification were measured by Computed Tomography (CT) scans before the treatment and during follow-up visits. Results. Six patients received a single dose of BMC, five patients received two doses and in three patients three doses of BMC were administered. The mean ossification of the cyst (expressed in Hounsfield units) increased statistically from 43.48±2.36 HU to 161.71±23.48 HU during follow-up time and the ossification was associated to an improvement of the clinical outcomes. The mean ossification over time was significantly higher in patients treated with a single injection compared to patients treated with multiple injections. No significant difference in ossification was found between cervical and non-cervical localization of the cyst. Moreover, the initial size of the cyst was not statistically associated with the degree of ossification during follow-up. We also observed that five out of six female patients (83.3%) were less than sixteen years old and four of these (66.7%) were managed with a single dose of BMC injection, while a higher percentage of male patients (6/8, 75%) were more than sixteen years old and more than one injection was administered to them. Conclusions. The results of this study reinforce our previous evidence on the use of BMC as a valid alternative for spinal ABC management when SAE is contraindicated or ineffective. The initial size of the cyst and its localization does not influence the efficacy of the treatment. However, BMC injection could be indicated as treatment of choice for spinal ABC in young adolescent women

Introduction. Aneurysmal bone cysts are uncommon benign lesions affecting the spinal column. They mostly occur in the lumbar spine and have a propensity to affect adjacent vertebrae. We describe 14 aneurysmal bone cysts affecting the spinal column from the Scottish Bone Tumour Registry with regard to assess the incidence, demography, biological behaviour and recurrence rate. Materials and Methods. We identified 14 patients with aneurysmal bone cysts affecting the spinal column. Case notes and radiographs were retrospectively reviewed from the Scottish Bone Tumour registry. Results. There were 9 female and 5 male patients. The mean age at presentation was 24.5 years (range, 6 to 62 years). The spinal location consisted of cervical (3), thoracic (4), lumbar (6) and sacral (1). The treatment included curettage without bone grafting (3), excision (7) and surgical removal with biopsy in rest. Selective angiographic embolisation was carried out in one patient with a cervical cyst and percutaneous sclerotherapy was carried out on another with a sacral cyst. There were two recurrences, of which one was treated with radiotherapy and other with repeat curettage with successful final outcome. Conclusions. The incidence of aneurysmal bone cysts was 5.5% in our registry of all the spine tumours. The recurrence occurred in 14% (2 of 14). In addition to surgery, one should be aware of the role of angiographic embolisation and radiotherapy in selected primary and recurrent ABCs

The June 2014 Oncology Roundup³⁶⁰ looks at: Infection still a problem in endoprosthetic reconstruction; massive allografts not as successful as we perhaps think; curopsy for aneurysmal bone cysts?; lengthening prosthesis: days are numbered; new WHO classification in brief; proximal tumours and fluid levels: bad news; infection is predictable in orthopaedic oncology; psychosocial support key in oncological outcomes.