Abstract:
Background Simple bone cysts are common benign bone tumors in children, with significant variations in clinical practice for their treatment. Common therapeutic methods include curettage with bone grafting, steroid injection, autologous bone marrow injection, and elastic intramedullary nail fixation. Currently, comprehensive evaluations of these treatments are lacking.
Objective To evaluate the effects of five commonly used treatment methods: curettage with bone grafting, steroid injection, autologous bone marrow injection, elastic intramedullary nail fixation, and combination of autologous bone marrow injection with elastic intramedullary nail fixation in treating unicameral bone cysts in children.
Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on children with simple bone cysts who underwent one of the five treatment methods from January 2010 to December 2020. All cases were assessed with X-ray examinations, and CT or MRI scans and pathological examinations were performed when necessary. Postoperative follow-up included X-ray evaluations, using the Capanna bone cyst assessment criteria to evaluate treatment outcomes. Outcomes including cure rate, treatment efficacy, recurrence, hospitalizations, and cure duration were compared across groups.
Results All 174 patients (118 males, 56 females; mean age 8.2±2.8 years) completed follow-up. Treatment groups comprised curettage with bone grafting (n=31), steroid injection (n=32), autologous bone marrow blood injection (n=32), elastic intramedullary nail fixation (n=37), and combination of autologous bone marrow injection with elastic intramedullary nail fixation (n =42), with no significant intergroup differences in gender or age (
P>0.05). Treatment efficacy rates of the five groups were 71.0%, 75.0%, 65.6%, 86.5%, and 97.6%, respectively. Combination of autologous bone marrow injection with elastic intramedullary nail fixation showed significantly higher efficacy than curettage with bone grafting and autologous bone marrow injection (
P<0.05). Recurrence rates were 29.0%, 21.9%, 28.1%, 10.8%, and 2.4%, respectively. Combination of autologous bone marrow injection with elastic intramedullary nail fixation exhibited significantly lower recurrence than curettage with bone grafting and autologous bone marrow injection (
P<0.05). Cure rates were 58.1%, 56.2%, 46.9%, 81.1%, and 92.9%, respectively. Combination of autologous bone marrow injection with elastic intramedullary nail fixation achieved significantly higher cure rates than curettage, steroid injection, and autologous bone marrow injection (
P<0.05). Cure durations were 25 (19.75, 29) months, 28.5 (22.75, 34) months, 27 (21, 31) months, 22 (19, 23) months, and 28 (24, 34) months, respectively. Elastic intramedullary nail fixation had significantly shorter cure duration than steroid injection and combination of autologous bone marrow injection with elastic intramedullary nail fixation (
P<0.05). Number of hospitalizations was 2 (1, 2), 4 (3, 5), 5 (4, 7), 2 (2, 2), and 4 (3, 6.25), respectively. Curettage with bone grafting and elastic intramedullary nail fixation required significantly fewer hospitalizations than steroid injection, autologous bone marrow injection, and combination of autologous bone marrow injection with elastic intramedullary nail fixation (
P<0.05).
Conclusion Compared to single treatment methods, combination of autologous bone marrow injection with elastic intramedullary nail fixation shows the best efficacy, with the highest efficacy and cure rates, and is worthy of clinical promotion and application.