Intralesional curettage and electrocauterization for the treatment of grade IA chondrosarcoma of long bones / 中华骨科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the recurrence rate, the complications and functional status of 25 patients with grade I chondrosarcoma of long bones treated by intralesional curettage and electrocauterization, and to determine the feasibility and effi?cacy of this method for grade IA chondrosarcoma of long bones. Methods Twenty?five eligible patients treated in our hospital from May 2003 to December 2011, were collected in this study with a mean age of 49 years (range, 28-72 years). According to En?neking staging system, all the lesions were staged as IA. Patients received surgery of the lesion before were excluded. The involved bones were femur (13 patients), tibia (4 patients), and humerus (8 patients). During the operation, a large elliptical cortical window about the size of the longest dimension of the lesion was made to ensure the thorough exposure of the lesion and avoid inadequate curettage. The lesion was curettaged thoroughly after the cortical window was made, then the high speed bur drill was applied to clear away a thin layer of the reactive bone shell. After a thorough lavage of the cavity, electrocauterization was done alongside the cavity wall slowly twice. Allograft or artificial bone was used to fill in the cavity to enhance bone healing. If mechanical property of the long bone was endangered by the cortical window and the surgical procedure, plate and screws were applied to strengthen the bone to avoid post?operative fracture. Results All the 25 patients were followed up regularly. The period of follow?up was from 38 months to 142 months, with a mean time of 80 months. Calcification was observed clearly in all the lesions. The length of the le?sions varied from 4 cm to 11 cm, with an average length of 7 cm. Nineteen patients received a plate and screws fixation because the mechanical property of the affected bone, while the rest received no internal fixation. Deep infection occurred in 1 patient (4%, 1/25) two months after operation. Thorough debridement and packing of bone cement with antibiotics was done to control the infec?tion. The infection has been controlled till the latest follow?up at 62 months after operation. Local recurrence occurred in one pa?tient thirteen months after the primary operation. Tumor resection, mega?prosthesis replacement was applied to the patient. The pa?tient has been disease free till now for 67 months. Mean Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) 93 functional score of all patients was 93%(range, 83%-100%). The five?year survival rate of these twenty?five patients was 100%. Conclusion Intralesional cu? rettage together with the application of high?speed bur drill and electrocauterization is an applicable method for grade I chondrosar?coma of long bones. The excellent functional result and low recurrence rate make it a favorable option for the selected cohort of pa?tients.