INTRODUCTION: Benign lytic lesions of bone encompass a group of neoplastic or developmental disorders of human skeleton. They may involve different sites with varied clinical presentation and pattern of aggressiveness for which the treatment strategy needs to be tailored accordingly. Planning a treatment protocol for a lytic lesion in the femoral neck is a matter of concern for the operating surgeon with due consideration to the risks involved. PATIENTS AND METHOD: This prospective study comprised of 16 patients (9 females and 7 males) with an average age of 23.37 years (range 14 to 35) who presented with lytic lesion in the neck of femur. Only those lesions which were involving the anterior or the inferior aspect of the femoral neck in which the destruction was more than 50 % of the cortex in a single view or there was a pathological fracture were included in this study. There were six cases of giant cell tumour, five cases of fibrous dysplasia, four cases of aneurysmal bone cyst and one case of benign fibrous histiocytoma. All the lesions were operated using anterior approach, and after extended curettage, the cavity was packed with bone chips and sartorius-based muscle pedicle bone grafting (MPBG) was done. Four patients presented with pathological fracture in which the fibula strut grafting was done in addition to MPBG. The patients were assessed using Musculoskeletal Tumour Society (MSTS) score. The mean follow-up period was 32 months (range 26-74 months). RESULTS: The average time to clinical healing was 8 weeks (range 6-12 weeks) in patients without pathological fracture at the presentation. At final follow-up, the average MSTS score was 28.2 and full radiological consolidation had occurred in all but one patient who developed recurrence. There was no evidence of avascular necrosis or pathological fracture in any of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: Sartorius muscle pedicle bone grafting using anterior approach is a good and reliable option in patients presenting with benign lytic lesion in the neck of femur.
INTRODUCTION: Benign lytic lesions of bone encompass a group of neoplastic or developmental disorders of human skeleton. They may involve different sites with varied clinical presentation and pattern of aggressiveness for which the treatment strategy needs to be tailored accordingly. Planning a treatment protocol for a lytic lesion in the femoral neck is a matter of concern for the operating surgeon with due consideration to the risks involved. PATIENTS AND METHOD: This prospective study comprised of 16 patients (9 females and 7 males) with an average age of 23.37 years (range 14 to 35) who presented with lytic lesion in the neck of femur. Only those lesions which were involving the anterior or the inferior aspect of the femoral neck in which the destruction was more than 50 % of the cortex in a single view or there was a pathological fracture were included in this study. There were six cases of giant cell tumour, five cases of fibrous dysplasia, four cases of aneurysmal bone cyst and one case of benign fibrous histiocytoma. All the lesions were operated using anterior approach, and after extended curettage, the cavity was packed with bone chips and sartorius-based muscle pedicle bone grafting (MPBG) was done. Four patients presented with pathological fracture in which the fibula strut grafting was done in addition to MPBG. The patients were assessed using Musculoskeletal Tumour Society (MSTS) score. The mean follow-up period was 32 months (range 26-74 months). RESULTS: The average time to clinical healing was 8 weeks (range 6-12 weeks) in patients without pathological fracture at the presentation. At final follow-up, the average MSTS score was 28.2 and full radiological consolidation had occurred in all but one patient who developed recurrence. There was no evidence of avascular necrosis or pathological fracture in any of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: Sartorius muscle pedicle bone grafting using anterior approach is a good and reliable option in patients presenting with benign lytic lesion in the neck of femur.