Solitary bone cyst: controversies and treatment.

The solitary bone cyst (SBC) has not yet revealed all its secrets. The pathogeny of the SBC is thus considered and also its evolutivity. Conservative treatment has been used in attempts to heal this tumor-like bone. In the case of surgery, an original technique is described. The SBC still remains mysterious in many of its aspects. At the time of this writing, nobody can predict the occurrence modalities of this benign bone tumor. In a similar way, the reality of this tumor-like lesion cannot be precisely described. This emphasizes the first controversial point about this lesion. Indeed, must we consider differently the bone cysts that remain close to the growth plate and those which located in the diaphysis? Must we regard the true unicameral bone cysts (UBCs) differently and those that are multilocular? Moreover, are the cysts located in the long bones identical to the those of the short cancellous bones? Alas, SBC was supposed to be a lesion in children that disappeared after growth ended. Is it still true since some cases have been reported more recently in adults? This study represents a long follow-up. It includes the different aspects of the SBC and emphasizes an original technique in case surgery becomes indicated.