Arthroscopic resection of chondroblastoma of the knee

Posterior ankle arthroscopic treatment of a talar chondroblastoma with allograft and a platelet-rich plasma-fibrin glue: A case report and literature review

Talar chondroblastoma, which is a benign tumor of immature cartilage cells, is an uncommon but easily missed diagnosis of foot pain. Arthroscopic treatment for this condition is a safe, powerful, and promising technique with definitive advantages of visualization and minimal invasion. Here, we report a case of a talar chondroblastoma treated by posterior ankle arthroscopic curettage, allograft bone graft, and platelet-rich plasma-fibrin glue (PRP-FG) application.

Level of evidence

Case Report. Level IV.

Arthroscopic management of Juxta-articular chondroblastoma with bone substitutes - A case report

Chondroblastoma, a rare benign bone tumour arising from the epiphysis, accounts for approximately 1% of all primary bone tumours and is known to be locally aggressive with potential for metastases and local recurrence. Open surgical curettage is associated with high risk of recurrence and potential for damage to the physis resulting in growth disturbances. We report a 14-year-old girl with chondroblastoma involving the distal femoral epiphysis in whom an arthroscopic approach was employed for thorough curettage of the lesion under direct vision followed by cavity management using bone graft substitute. At seven years follow-up she is asymptomatic, has normal knee function and her radiographs have shown good osteointegration of the synthetic graft with no evidence of recurrence. By combining the principles of intra-articular and endosteal arthroscopy in select patients, both tumour excision and cavity management can be done arthroscopically.

Proximal Tibia Chondroblastoma Treated With Curettage and Bone Graft and Cement Use

Chondroblastoma has a predilection for the epiphyses or apophyses of long tubular bones. Management of lesions in the proximal tibia is challenging because it is difficult to gain access to intraepiphyseal lesions for completion of curettage. From October 2007 to December 2011, 9 patients with de novo chondroblastoma of the proximal tibia underwent surgery at the authors' institution. All patients initially presented with pain, and 5 patients had limitation of range of motion of the ipsilateral knee. Four lesions abutted the tibial attachment sites of the cruciate ligaments. Surgical procedures included intralesional tumor curettage, additional burring, and packing of the defect with bone graft and/or bone cement. The extra-articular approach was used according to tumor location. The medial or lateral parapatellar approach was used when the tumor was located in the anterior two-thirds of the horizontal plane. When a lesion was located in the posterior third, the posteromedial or posterolateral approach was used as the lesion was cornered. Mean duration of follow-up was 47.2 months (range, 27-80 months). No local recurrence or pulmonary metastasis was noted at latest follow-up. Mean functional score was 29.3 points (range, 28-30 points). All patients fully recovered range of motion in the affected knee. No avulsion fracture or anteroposterior instability of the knee joint was detected. Results of the current study suggest that intralesion curettage followed by additional burring with an extra-articular approach is a successful treatment option for chondroblastoma of the proximal tibia.

Epiphyseal femoral tumour resection under intraosseous endoscopic control

We have resected 4 benign cystic femoral head tumours under intraosseous endoscopic control. The resections were completely extraarticular through a tunnel made in the femoral neck from the lateral cortex. The procedures were assessed endoscopically with the help of a standard arthroscope. With a minimum follow-up of 1 year (range 1-16 years), there were no recurrences. Mean age at time of surgery was 23 years (range 19-26 years). Only 1 (fibrous defect) needed prophylactic osteosynthesis with a dynamic hip screw. The lateral approach through a bone tunnel allows preservation of the joint. The creation of a wider tunnel (10-15 mm) avoids the need for an irrigation system, without debilitating the bone structure, and simplifies the surgical procedure.

Bone tumors around the knee: risks and benefits of arthroscopic procedures

Although most primary bone tumors and soft tissue tumors arise around the knee joint, many patients with tumoral conditions attribute their symptoms to traumatic events. This may lead to misdiagnosis and mistakes in selection of therapeutic approach. Arthroscopy is the preferred method for diagnosis and treatment of knee joint disease, but even a minimally invasive procedure may have adverse consequences in the presence of an unsuspected neoplasm. Thus, evaluation of all patients who may benefit from knee arthroscopy requires a careful and systematic workup that consists of appropriate noninvasive imaging studies and thoughtful consideration regarding the need for magnetic resonance imaging. Arthroscopic biopsy and treatment are recommended for selected intra-articular tumors. In addition, arthroscopy is a useful adjunct during surgical treatment of patients with certain juxta-articular benign bone tumors. In this Current Concepts review, we consider the risks and benefits of arthroscopy in the presence of tumors about the knee joint.

The use of the arthroscope as an adjunct in the resection of a chondroblastoma of the femoral head

We present a case of the use of an arthroscope as an adjunct in the resection of a tumor (chondroblastoma) of the femoral head. Use of the endoscope in this case allowed preservation of the femoral head and neck. Although the arthroscope has been used intraarticularly for the resection of tumors, to our knowledge it has not been used endosteally.