Clinical-morphological and electron-microscopic studies of the growth plate in solitary bone cysts.

The occasional humeral growth retardation or premature closure of the growth plate medially, documented among more than 120 solitary bone cysts reviewed, was reason to undertake a thorough study of the growth plate in the area of the cyst. The findings in the hyaline zone disclose a considerable number of vessels and slits of the cartilage that are broadened toward the proliferative and hypertrophic zones. In some places they communicate with the vessels or are lined with endothelium. Ultrastructurally, changes of a destructive nature are disclosed, involving the growth plate zone and corresponding to the most active metabolic processes. In the altered chondrocytes substantial increases in glycogen granules and lipid droplets are observed, as well as reduction of the cellular organelles. In rather severely affected cells changes in the nuclei, lysosomal structures, and myelin-like lamellar bodies are established. The disappearance of cellular organelles and the fragmentation of cytoplasm are interpreted as a final phase of the above-listed changes. In conclusion, the cyst is considered a probable primary cause of the changes described.