Autogenous fibula head transplantation for aneurysmal bone cyst of distal radius: A case report followed up for 7 years

Abstract

Rationale: Aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC) is a rare primary or secondary tumor that usually occurs in young women aged between 10 and 20 years, mostly in the long tubular bone and spine. However, there are no definite standards for its clinical treatment. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a young female patient with distal radius ABC who was successfully treated with tumor resection and autogenous fibular head transplantation. Patient concerns: A 28-year-old married Chinese young woman presented to our hospital with swelling and pain in her right wrist for 2 years and aggravation of wrist movement restriction for 1 week. Diagnoses: Pathological biopsy confirmed ABC. Interventions: We performed a pathological examination of the tumor on the right wrist and preliminarily confirmed the diagnosis of ABC. The right wrist joint was reconstructed by total surgical resection of the ABC tumor in the right wrist joint and autogenous fibular head transplantation. Outcomes: During follow-up within 7 years, good right wrist function was confirmed. The tumor did not recur, the swelling of the right wrist disappeared, the joint pain and limitation of movement significantly improved, and the function of the right wrist was not impaired in daily activities. Radiography showed that the fracture had healed. Lessons: Our results suggest that autofibular head transplantation is an effective treatment for reconstruction of wrist function in adult patients with ABC of the distal radius.