Chondroblastoma of the patella with pathological fracture in an adolescent: a case report

Abstract

BackgroundChondroblastoma is a rare primary bone tumor of young people that generally occurs in the epiphyseal plate of long bones. To date, only 13 cases of patella with pathological fracture in chondroblastoma have been previously published.Case presentationA 15-year-old male patient presented with acute pain in the left knee after an injury occurred while playing basketball. Plain radiographs and computed tomography showed a pathological fracture of the left patella with an osteolytic lesion (1.5 × 2 × 3 cm). Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an expansile lesion within the patella with a slightly high signal on the T1-weighted image, a high signal on the T2-weighted image and soft tissue swelling in front of the patella. A m99Tc bone scintigraphy revealed moderate uptake. The preoperative diagnosis was chondroblastoma. This patient underwent intralesional meticulous extended curettage, adjuvant high-speed burr, 95% alcohol and electrotome treatment, autogenous iliac crest bone grafting, and internal fixation. A postoperative pathological diagnosis was chondroblastoma. The patient’s function was satisfactory, and there was no sign of tumor recurrence. The internal fixator was good, with no loosening or migration observed at the last follow-up at 20 months after surgery.ConclusionsRarely, chondroblastoma of the patella can present with acute pain due to pathological fracture. We present the 14th such case in the literature to associate patellar chondroblastoma with pathological fracture. The patient was treated with curettage, inactivation, autogenous bone grafting, and internal fixation. A satisfactory therapeutic effect was obtained. This case may be beneficial to the diagnosis and treatment of chondroblastoma patella.

Chondroblastoma of the Patella with Secondary Aneurysmal Bone Cyst, an Easily Misdiagnosed Bone Tumor: A Case Report with Literature Review

“…Pink cartilage-like matrix was also noted. All of these features are highly consistent with those of the speci c manifestations [4,5,6,23] (proliferated chondroblasts observed in the laminar regions, accompanied by cartilage matrix and some multi-nucleated cells. Calci cation may also appear in some areas) of CB.…”

“…The ratio of CB occurrence between men and women is approximately 3:2. This type of tumors often affect the proximal epiphysis of the femur, humerus, and tibia [2,3] , while those affecting the patella are extremely rare [4,5] . Only a few cases of CB combined with secondary ABC [6] have been reported until date, and they can be easily misdiagnosed as giant cell tumor (GCT) or ABC.…”

10 Years Follow up of Chondroblastoma Treated with Intralesional Curettage: A Retrospective Study

“…It usually affects the epiphyses or apophyses of long bones such as humerus, femur and tibia. Less common location affected by chondroblastoma including patella, calcaneus, acetabulum and even spine, also had been reported in literature [9][10][11].It seems that chondroblastoma occurs more frequently in males than in females, in a ratio of 2.3 to 1 [2,12]. In this group of patients, the mean age of onset was 13 years old with a male to female ratio of 1.5:1, and also the proximal humerus was the mostly involved location, which all coincided with most previous studies.…”

Outcome of Chondroblastoma Treated With Intralesional Curettage and Autogenous Iliac Bone Graft: A Retrospective Study

“…It mostly affects the epiphyses or apophyses of long bones such as humerus, femur and tibia. Less common locations including patella, calcaneus, acetabulum and spine, also had been reported in literature [9][10][11].It seems that chondroblastoma occurs more frequently in males than in females, with a ratio of 2.3 to 1 in literature [2,12]. In our study of chondroblastoma , the mean age of onset was 13 years old with a male to female ratio of 1.5:1, and also the proximal humerus was the mostly involved location, which all coincided with most previous studies.…”