bone, joint, and muscle disorders
Bone Cysts
Unicameral bone cysts (simple bone cysts)
Unicameral bone cysts occur near the growth plates in the arms or legs in children. Growth plates are what enable children to grow. The cysts often cause nearby bones to thin, which can lead to a break (fracture). Cysts that are less than 2 inches (about 5 centimeters) long or wide may heal and may disappear as the fracture heals. Cysts that are more than 2 inches long or wide, particularly in children, may require treatment. However, a better predictor of the risk of fracture is a cyst size greater than 85% of the diameter of the bone or a bony shell less than 0.5 millimeters. To diagnose unicameral bone cysts, doctors do X-rays . Most of the time, x-rays are enough to make the diagnosis, but sometimes other imaging tests, such as These cysts are often treated with injections of corticosteroids (often repeatedly), with processed bone putty, or with synthetic bone substitutes. Sometimes treatment is surgery to remove the contents of the cyst from the bone by scraping it with a scoop-shaped instrument (curettage) and transplantation of bone from one site to another (bone grafting) or use of processed bone from another person (allograft). Regardless of treatment, the cyst remains or returns in about 10 to 15% of people. 