A Rare Cause of Ankle Pain - Chondrosarcoma of the Talus: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Introduction: Chondrosarcoma of the talus is one of the rare causes of ankle pain. Often this pain is neglected by the patients. Hence, the presentation is late. A rare occurrence, lack of clinical familiarity, and resemblance to enchondroma make the diagnosis of chondrosarcoma difficult. Case Report: We present a case of chondrosarcoma of talus in a 42-year-old female, which is an uncommon site of occurrence. In the presence of non-classical radiologic and histologic findings, the patient was treated with below-knee amputation. At present, the patient is disease-free and walking with a prosthesis. Conclusion: Talus is an infrequent site for chondrosarcoma. When affected, it presents as vague ankle pain. A patient can be underdiagnosed as there are no clear radiological and histological guidelines to differentiate between benign and low-grade cartilaginous tumors such as enchondroma and low-grade chondrosarcoma. Histologically proven benign lesions must be followed for a long time in suspicion of malignancy. The treatment of chondrosarcoma of the talus can vary from local wide excision to below-knee amputation, depending on the grade of malignancy.

Benign Aggressive Lesions of Femoral Head and Neck: Is Salvage Possible?

BACKGROUND: Benign aggressive bone lesions of the femoral head and neck are mostly seen in young adults and warrant treatment for pain, impending fracture or established fracture, and disease clearance. It becomes challenging to treat them effectively while attempting salvage of the femoral head and yet achieving long term disease control with minimum complications. We describe our technique and experience in dealing with these lesions which can achieve the above-mentioned goals and can be easily replicated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed 15 cases of surgically treated, biopsy-proven benign, locally aggressive lesions affecting the femoral head and neck in skeletally mature individuals. All cases were treated with extended curettage through anterolateral modified Smith-Petersen approach along with tricortical iliac crest bone graft (combined with fibular graft in some cases) reconstruction with or without suitable internal fixation. RESULTS: All, except one, patients were available for follow up. The age ranged from 18 to 43 years and the follow up ranged between 24 and 124 months (average 78 months). These included aneurysmal bone cysts (9), giant cell tumors (4), and fibrous dysplasia (2). The indication was pain (8), with impending (2) or established pathological neck femur fracture (5). In all cases, there was satisfactory healing of lesion and timely rehabilitation. Nonunion, avascular necrosis or local recurrences were not seen. The MSTS functional score was good or excellent in all (range 26-29, average 28). CONCLUSION: Benign aggressive lesions affecting femoral head and neck in young and middle-aged adults pose a treatment challenge. A sturdy, lasting reconstruct with acceptable functional outcome and minimal recurrence rate can be achieved by salvaging the femoral head and neck using curettage and reconstruction, obviating the need for replacement at such an early age.

Parosteal Osteosarcoma of the Distal Radius Mimicking an Osteochondroma-A Diagnostic Misadventure.

We present a case of a parosteal osteosarcoma mimicking an osteochondroma with atypical clinical features, radiographic findings, and histological examination. This report serves to exemplify the importance of recognizing the similarities between these 2 entities and other peculiar features that will help to differentiate between sessile osteochondromas and parosteal osteosarcomas, to prevent misdiagnosis.

Giant Osteolipoma Fixed to the Greater Trochanter of the Femur in a Seventy-Year-Old Elderly Woman.

A lipoma containing mature osseous elements is called osteolipoma. This article describes a giant osteolipoma fixed to the periosteum of the greater trochanter of the femur. A seventy-year-old woman presented with a large subcutaneous mass in the right buttock which had been present for six years. On local examination, a giant mass that was ovoid, firm, non-tender, well demarcated, subcutaneous, and relatively fixed to the greater trochanter was palpated in the right buttock. A medical imaging and fluoro-deoxy-glucose (FDG) bone scan revealed a large lipomatous and metabolically active lesion arising from the periosteum of the greater trochanter of femur. The excisional mass of 17 × 8 × 7 cm3 was well encapsulated and had an osseous basal portion. Cut sections of the mass revealed mainly yellow fatty tissue surrounded by a thin fibrous capsule with numerous interlacing thin lamellar bony structures. The definitive pathological diagnosis was osteolipoma without evidence of malignancy. No recurrence was observed at eight months follow-up. Osteolipoma with an osseous basal portion is rare. Surgical excision is the treatment of choice and the prognosis is good. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of an unusual giant osteolipoma fixed to the periosteum of the greater trochanter of the femur.

Clinicopathological features of five unusual cases of intraosseous myoepithelial carcinomas, mimicking conventional primary bone tumours, including EWSR1 rearrangement in one case.

Primary intraosseous myoepithelial tumours, including carcinomas are rare tumours. The concept of histopathological spectrum of these tumours is evolving. We describe clinicopathological and immunohistochemical features of five myoepithelial carcinomas, including molecular cytogenetic results in one case. There were five male patients within age-range of 8-40 years (median = 26). Four tumours occurred in the long bones, including two tumours, each, in the femur and fibula, respectively, while a single tumour occurred in the proximal phalanges. Tumour size (n = 3 cases) varied from 5.6 to 8.6 cm. On radiological imaging, most tumours appeared as expansile, lytic and destructive lesions. Two tumours appeared as sclerotic lesions. Two cases were referred with diagnoses of chondrosarcomas and a single case was referred with two different diagnoses, including an adamantinoma and an osteosarcoma. Histopathological examination in all these cases showed multinodular tumours comprising mostly polygonal cells, exhibiting moderate nuclear atypia and interspersed mitotic figures within a stroma containing variable amount of myxoid, chondroid, hyalinised and osteoid-like material. Three tumours revealed prominent squamous differentiation. By immunohistochemistry, tumour cells were positive for EMA (5/5), pan CK (AE1/AE3) (3/3), CK5/6 (4/4), CK MNF116 (1/1), S100 protein (5/5) and GFAP (3/5). The first tumour revealed EWSR1 rearrangement. The first patient, 10 months after tumour resection and a simultaneous lung metastatectomy, is free-of-disease (FOD). The second patient, 11 months after tumour resection is FOD. The third and fourth patients underwent wide resections and are on follow-up. The fifth patient underwent resections, including a lung metastatectomy. Primary intraosseous myoepithelial carcinomas are rare and mimic conventional primary bone tumours. Some primary intraosseous myoepithelial carcinomas display EWSR1 rearrangement. Squamous differentiation may be considered as an addition to their evolving histopathological spectrum. Immunohistochemical stains constitute as a necessary tool for arriving at the correct diagnosis in such cases, which has treatment implications. Surgical resection remains the treatment mainstay.

Giant cell tumor - distal end radius: Do we know the answer?

BACKGROUND: The distal end of the radius is one of the common sites of involvement in giant cell tumors (GCTs) with reportedly increased propensity of recurrence. The objective of the present analysis was to study the modalities of management of the different types of distal end radius GCTs so as to minimize the recurrence rates and retain adequate function. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-four patients of distal end radius GCTs treated between January 2000 and December 2004 were retrospectively reviewed. Nineteen cases were available for follow-up with an average follow-up of 37.5 months. There was one Campanacci Grade 1 lesion, nine Grade 2 and 14 Grade 3 lesions. Thirteen (54%) of these patients were treated elsewhere earlier and presented with recurrence. The operative procedures that were performed were: curettage and cementing (five), curettage and bone grafting (seven), excision and proximal fibular arthroplasty (two), excision and wrist arthrodesis (nine) and excision of soft tissue recurrence (one). RESULTS: Functional status was evaluated using Musculo Skeletal Tumor Society scoring system which averaged 78%. The recurrence rate was 32%. Complications included local recurrence (six), nonunion at the graft bone junction (one), infection (one), deformity (two), stiffness (two), subluxation (two) and bony metastasis (one). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of patients undergoing curettage were either Campanacci Grade 1 or 2. Patients undergoing curettage and reconstruction had a better functional result (82%) as compared to arthrodesis or fibular arthroplasty (69%). Previous intervention did not appear to increase the recurrence rates. Even though complications occur, judicious decision-making and an appropriate treatment plan can ensure a satisfactory outcome in the majority of cases.

Case report: metastatic adamantinoma of the tibia--an unusual presentation.

A 26-year-old female with a tibial lesion diagnosed as an adamantinoma was treated with intra-lesional curettage, bone grafting and intra-medullary nailing. Six years post-surgery, she presented with an asymptomatic primary site but with a metastatic lesion in the mid-shaft of the ipsilateral femur and lung metastases. The femoral lesion was treated with wide excision and reconstructed with an allograft and plate fixation. Pulmonary metastatectomy was carried out for the lung lesions. A follow-up CT scan of the chest at 1 year after the surgery for the metastatic lesions revealed fresh unresectable bilateral metastases. Although cases of local recurrences and pulmonary metastases in adamantinoma are reported, this case is unusual in presenting without a local recurrence but with simultaneous skeletal and pulmonary metastases.