n 11 patients juxta-articular osteosarcoma around the knee was treated by intraepiphyseal excision of the tumour and reconstruction of the bone defect by distraction osteogenesis. Preoperative and postoperative chemotherapy was given to eight patients with high-grade tumours. The articular cartilage of the epiphysis and a maximum of healthy soft tissues were preserved. Distraction osteogenesis was then carried out. The mean ... Read more

The prognostic value of the time of identification of lung metastasis was investigated in 280 patients with metastatic lung osteosarcoma as a multi-institutional study of the Japanese Musculoskeletal Oncology Group. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The 280 patients with lung metastasis were divided into four groups: group 1, patients with lung metastasis identified at initial presentation; group 2, those with lung metastasis ... Read more

This study reviewed 14 patients with thyroid cancer spinal metastases treated between December 1984 and July 2000. In total the 14 patients had undergone 25 operations (average 1.8 operations/patient). The operations were at the thoracic (15), cervical (7) and lumbar (3) levels and operations included piecemeal excision (14), total en bloc spondylectomy (7), posterior decompression and stabilization (2), posterior decompression ... Read more

This paper introduces an innovative technique of highly conservative limb-saving surgery for juxta-articular osteosarcoma. This technique consists of marginal tumour excision, joint preservation and reconstruction by distraction osteogenesis. Ten patients, with a mean age of 19.5 years and high-grade osteosarcoma, underwent this procedure. The distal femur and proximal tibia were affected in five patients each. After effective pre-operative chemotherapy, the ... Read more

This report concerns a series of 12 patients with simple bone cysts of the calcaneus, who were treated between 1988 and 2000 by a minimal surgical intervention of curettage, multiple drilling and continuous decompression through insertion of a cannulated screw. Inserted screws were made of titanium in 8 cases and ceramics in 4 cases. The mean operative time was 58.8 ... Read more

The surgical treatment of spinal metastases is controversial.In the first part of the discussion, we thoroughly considered this controversy. The surgical indications in our patients are not based on the prognostic score. The score is only used to decide the best line of treatment when surgery is indicated. The main indications of surgical interventions in our series were neurological compromise ... Read more

We describe a consecutive series of 26 patients with simple bone cysts who were treated by curettage, multiple drilling and continuous decompression by the insertion of either a cannulated screw or a pin. In the first 15 patients we used titanium cannulated screws (group 1) and in the next 11 a cannulated hydroxyapatite pin (group 2). Satisfactory healing was achieved ... Read more

Three varieties of simple bone cysts have not attracted a lot of clinical attention: simple bone cysts in non-tubular bones, multiple cysts and epiphyseal cysts. Simple bone cysts occurring in non-tubular bones form about 4-10% of total cases, with a higher age incidence and better prognosis. Epiphyseal simple bone cysts have a higher age incidence, a lower male/female ratio, a ... Read more

Neurofibromatosis 1 is a common heritable disorder. The gene causing neurofibromatosis 1 had been recognized and the protein encoded by this gene, neurofibromin, was supposed to play a role in development of various tissues. Neurofibromin was found to have GTP-ase (GAP) domain against small p21 ras. IQGAP1 is another human ras-specific GAP that was found to have calmodulin-binding motifs. Spinal ... Read more

A 35-year-old woman with neurofibromatosis 1 and thoracic kyphoscoliosis had incomplete paraplegia. She had a history of hyperparathyroidism due to a parathyroid adenoma which had been excised 4 years previously. Plain radiographs of the spine revealed kyphoscoliosis from the third to sixth thoracic vertebrae. Kyphosis and scoliosis angles were 86 degrees and 28 degrees, respectively. Radiographs of the skull and ... Read more