Bipolar electric cauterization as adjuvant treatment after curettage of aneurysmal bone cysts of the hand

Abstract

Almost all aneurysmal bone cysts of the hand were managed with either simple curettage plus or minus bone graft or en block excision and autograft reconstruction. The high recurrence rate is a major disadvantage of the former technique, whereas complexity/donor-site morbidities are known disadvantages of the latter technique. In the long bones of the lower limbs, adjuvant therapy after curettage is known to reduce the recurrence rate. This article introduces adjuvant bipolar electrical cauterization after curettage of aneurysmal bone cysts of the hands. This technique was used in 6 cases including 1 case with a recurrent lesion after curettage done elsewhere. Complications have been minimal and there was no recurrence at a mean follow-up of 3 years. Although the number of cases in this series is small, the favorable results warrant trying the technique in a multicenter comparative study. Copyright © 2013 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.