All-endoscopic management of benign bone lesions; a case series of 26 cases with minimum of 2 years follow-up

Purpose: Assessment of the functional and oncologic outcomes regarding endoscopic curettage of different benign bone tumor types within variable anatomic locations. Patients and methods: During the period between February 2012 and December 2016, 26 patients with symptomatic intra-osseous benign bony lesions were included. The age ranged from 3 up to 49 years (mean 20), of 14 females and 12 males. The follow-up duration ranged from 26 up to 58 months (mean 41). Functional scoring was done according to the Revised Musculoskeletal Tumour Society Rating Scale. Anatomic locations of the lesions included: 6 cases in the proximal tibia, 6 cases in the distal femur, 4 cases in the calcaneus, 3 cases in the proximal humerus, 3 cases in the distal tibia, 2 cases in the talus, 1 case in the proximal femur, and 1 case in the distal fibula. The procedure used 4 mm 30° scope for endoscopy, and high speed burrs 3.5–5 mm for extended curettage. Autogenous bone grafting was done in 5 cases, and adjuvant material (polymethylmethacrylate) was needed in 7 cases. Results: After exclusion of one case that was lost in the follow-up, the remaining 25 cases showed full functional recovery at a period of 8–12 weeks, and improved mean functional scores from 20.2 to 28.6/30 post-operatively, with p value <0.001 which was considered as a statistically significant result. The oncologic outcome showed 24 cases with adequate healing, while 1 case developed recurrence (aneurysmal bone cyst in the proximal tibia) for which, an open revision surgery was performed. Intra-operative fracture occurred in another case with aneurysmal bone cyst of the proximal femur, which was fixed by flexible nails with complete healing. Conclusion: Endoscopic curettage of different types of intra-osseous benign bony lesions proved to be an effective treatment modality with promising oncologic outcome, improved functional scores, and fast functional recovery.