Childhood soft tissue chondroma. Two cases report.

BACKGROUND: Soft tissue chondroma is a rare benign tumour, which is generally seen in adult. It consists of islands of heterotopic cartilaginous tissue and most localised on the hands and the feet. The hypothesis that microtrauma is involved in the aetiology of this condition has yet to find any factual support. AIM: To report two paediatric cases of soft tissue chondroma. CASES REPORT: The first is a soft tissue chondroma of the posterior aspect of the left axilla in a 3-year-old boy. CT scans showed a spherical fatty density soft tissue mass without evident calcifications, attaching the infraspinous muscle. The second patient is a 9-year-old girl presented with a right auricular finger soft tissue chondroma. Radiographs showed several punctuated calcifications with adjacent bone scalloping. MRI revealed a lobulated soft tissue mass attaching the flexor tendons. The tumours were entirely removed. Histological examination showed cartilaginous tissue in both cases. At follow-up, the patients had good functions without evidence of recurrence. CONCLUSION: Simple excision should suffice to treat soft tissue chondroma but care should be taken to make the excision complete if recurrence are to be avoided.

[Epidemiology of osteomyelitis and arthritis in infants]. / Epidémiologie des infections ostéo-articulaires du nourrisson.

A retrospective study realised over 10 years in the orthopaedic unit of the children's hospital of Tunis allowed to collect 206 cases of osteomyelitis and arthritis in infant (3 months--3 years old). In 74.6% of the cases, infection involved the joint. There is a single focus of the infection in 92.6% of the cases, more often at the lower limbs. The pathogen has been isolated in 33% of the cases. Staphylococcus aureus (52 %) is the more frequent pathogen, especially in osteomyelitis. Enterobateria (16%), Streptococcus (17.7%) (Streptococcus pneumonia: 10.7%), and Hemophylus influenzea (5.3%) were often isolated in arthritis.