ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Pediatric Orthopedics
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2025.1673245
This article is part of the Research TopicAdvances in Limb-Salvage Surgery and Reconstruction for Pediatric Bone and Soft Tissue TumorsView all 4 articles
Curettage and Bone Grafting Combined with electrocautery and Drill, Supplemented with Plate Fixation for the Treatment of Pediatric Humeral Aneurysmal Bone Cysts: A Retrospective Study
Provisionally accepted- 1Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, China
- 2Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- 3Department of Orthopedics, Wuhan Hospital of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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Background: Aneurysmal bone cysts (ABCs) are benign, locally aggressive bone lesions that predominantly affect children and adolescents. The humerus is a common site, and treatment aims to eradicate the lesion while preserving growth potential and function. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of curettage and bone grafting combined with electrocautery and burr drilling, supplemented with plate fixation, for treating pediatric humeral ABC. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 23 pediatric patients diagnosed with humeral ABC who underwent this surgical procedure. Inclusion criteria were age ≤18 years, a confirmed diagnosis via imaging and histopathology, and the absence of epiphyseal or joint surface involvement. The surgical techniques involved thorough curettage, electrocautery, burr drilling, bone grafting, and plate fixation. Postoperative follow-up included pain assessment using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), functional evaluation using the Constant-Murley score, and radiographic imaging to assess bone healing and recurrence. Results: The average patient age was 8.6 years, and the mean follow-up period was 35.8 months. Postoperative pain scores (VAS) significantly decreased from a preoperative average of 5.6 to 1.1 at 1-year post-surgery (P<0.05). Functional recovery, measured by the Constant-Murley score, improved from a preoperative average of 42 to 87 at 1-year post-surgery (P<0.05). Radiographic evaluation confirmed complete lesion clearance and bone fusion in all patients, with no recurrence observed during the follow-up period. The overall complication rate was 17.39%, including one case of infection, two cases of wound dehiscence, and one case of transient radial nerve palsy, all of which were resolved with appropriate treatment. Conclusion: The combination of curettage, bone grafting, electrocautery, burr drilling, and plate fixation is a safe and effective treatment for pediatric humeral ABC. This approach ensures thorough lesion removal, promotes bone healing, and minimizes recurrence, making it a viable option for clinical application.
Keywords: pediatric, Humerus, Aneurysmal bone cyst, Curettage and bone grafting, Electrocautery, plate fixation
Received: 25 Jul 2025; Accepted: 30 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Liang, Shi, Ni, Zhang, He, Chen, Huang and Pu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Feifei Pu, pufeifei@hust.edu.cn
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