Aneurysmal bone cyst of the foot: A series of 10 cases.

Background: Aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC) is a benign, locally aggressive tumor that occurs in childhood and early adulthood. It usually affects the metaphysis of long bones but can also occur in the foot.

Methods: This single-center study is a retrospective review of ten patients with primary ABCs of the foot which underwent an intralesional curettage or a polidocanol instillation.

Results: After intralesional curettage a local recurrence was observed in 3/5 cases. The instillation of polidocanol showed a significant reduction of the initial cyst volume (p=0.0267). In the instillation subgroup a primary complete healing was achieved in three cases. Due to a persisting disease two cases were converted to intralesional curettage without local recurrence in the follow-up.

Conclusions: Percutaneous instillation of polidocanol is a minimally invasive treatment option for ABCs of the foot and especially for small bones. Nevertheless, several sequential instillations and a conversion to intralesional curettage can be necessary.