Bone cyst following gunshot wound: case report.

A case of a large bone cyst developing in the distal femur of a 17-year-old boy requiring curettage and grafting 20 months following a low-velocity gunshot wound is reported. The etiology of such cysts remains obscure, and removal of bullets from weight-bearing bones is recommended when feasible, or followup roentgenograms of weight-bearing bones with retained missiles. The literature on civilian gunshot injuries is reviewed and implications from the present case are discussed.