Internal pressure and oxygen tension of bone tumors and tumorous conditions.

Internal pressure and oxygen tension were measured in 24 patients with bone tumors and tumorous conditions. High internal pressures were observed in most of the rapidly growing lesions. The internal pressures of slowly growing and non-growing lesions were not different from those of normal bone marrow. Oxygen tension was commonly higher in the rapidly growing lesions than in simultaneously obtained peripheral venous samples from the same patients. The oxygen tension of the fluid from simple bone cysts was lower than that in venous samples from the same patients. There is a good correlation between internal pressure and the growth rate of the bone lesions in this study. It is suggested that internal pressure and oxygen tension of the lesions demonstrated the degree of blood supply to the bone tumors and tumorous conditions.