Periosteal chondroma of the proximal humerus: a case report and review of the literature.

Periosteal chondroma is a slow growing benign cartilaginous tumor of bone. It is rarely reported among Thai people. The authors present a case ofperiosteal chondroma of the proximal humerus. A 14-year-old girl was admitted with a painless mass around her left shoulder On magnetic resonance images, a subcutaneous lesion with hypointensity on TI-weighted images and marked hyperintensity on T2-weighted images, eroded the underlying cortical bone of the proximal humerus. The patient underwent marginal excision. There was no recurrence of the lesion during 3 years of follow-up.

Epidemiology of hip fracture in Chiang Mai.

The incidence of hip fracture varies worldwide. From 1997 to 1998, the incidence of hip fracture in Chiang Mai was 151.2 and 185.2 per 100,000 from the hospital survey and the community survey respectively. The mortality rate in hospital following hip fracture was 2.1% and the one-year mortality rate rose steadily to 37%. In addition, morbidity after hip fracture may also carry serious implications on the functional independence and quality of life. Concerning the costs for treatment, hip fracture is also a great burden for the health service in Thailand. The risk factors for hip fracture include age, medical co-morbidities, current use of antihistamine, history of fracture, alcoholic consumption, low calcium intake and lack of physical activity, whereas calcium intake and physical activity were demonstrated as important protective factors against hip fracture. Improved understanding for epidemiology of hip fracture in Thailand could enhance the effectiveness for prevention of the fracture.