What is the cause of bone cyst and how to treat it

Bone cyst is a disease that is still under research. There is no complete medical conclusion on its cause. At the same time, because the symptoms of bone cyst are not obvious, it is difficult to detect in the early stages. However, although the cause of bone cysts is still under study, the treatment methods are now very complete. Therefore, once a bone cyst is diagnosed, there is no need to worry and you should just consult a doctor.

1. What is the cause of bone cyst

Bone cysts are benign lesions, also known as simple bone cysts or solitary bone cysts. The cause is not yet clear. Some scholars believe that bone cysts are caused by obstruction of blood vessel endings in the bone and blood stasis; others believe that the disease is a degenerative change of a certain tumor or inflammatory tissue, and that the result of its growth and metabolic obstruction may be related to abnormal bone development; others believe that it may be caused by traumatic bleeding to form a localized cyst, which is then locally absorbed and ossified. Small bone cysts may disappear due to callus after fracture; large cysts may also shrink due to callus; occasionally they may disappear due to ossification of hematoma.

2. How to treat bone cysts

Bone cysts can heal on their own, especially after fractures, the cysts can be filled with new bone. Some people currently advocate injecting methylprednisolone with 10-200 mg into the cyst cavity, which has achieved good results. The injection can be repeated once every two months, 80-200 mg, up to 7 injections, an average of 2-3 times. After injection treatment, normal bone structure can be restored. For pathological fractures, treatment is based on the principles of fracture treatment. If the cyst still exists, scraping can be performed, and the scraping should be thorough, because the residual cyst wall is the main cause of cyst recurrence. After peeling, bone fragments are implanted.

The treating physician must be completely certain of his or her diagnosis and should be confident in the treatment method chosen. Preoperative consultation and discussion with a bone tumor specialist is necessary, as there are multiple treatment options. When accompanied by pathological fractures, conservative treatment and closed fracture healing are the first choice. Sometimes the natural healing of pathological fractures can also resolve the bone cyst itself. Percutaneous injection of demethylhydrocortisone acetate into the cystic cavity once every two months, and satisfactory results can be obtained after 1-3 treatments. The currently recommended method is to inject 2-5 ml of MPA into the bone cyst cavity through a double-lumen tube to eliminate intravenous hematoma and blockage, maintain long-term efficacy, and eliminate the cause of the disease.

Clinicians should avoid blindly deciding on surgical treatment. In the case of recurrent or complex bone cysts, it is best to refer the patient to an orthopedic tumor center. Since complete removal of the lesion results in too great a loss of bone continuity, simple curettage is more commonly used, but the recurrence rate is as high as 40%-45%. In addition, during surgical treatment, be careful not to damage the growth plate near the lesion to avoid affecting bone growth.

3. Diagnosis of bone cyst

1. Bone cysts are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms and a long course of disease: About 45% of cases present pathological fractures as the first symptom, sometimes with mild local soreness and discomfort. Bone cysts in superficial areas may show varying degrees of expansion and deformation of the diseased bones.

2. Patients whose X-ray examination and pathological examination are consistent with bone cyst.