WOFAPS 2025 8th World Congress of Pediatric Surgery

Haibing Li, Xiaofen Niu, Hang Su, Wensong Ye, Xin Tang

Children’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, National Children’s Regional Medical Center

Objective

The aim of this study was to present the clinical and radiological outcomes of surgical treatment for proximal femur unicameral bone cysts (UBC)in children.

Methods

A total of 37 patients with proximal femur UBC in children were analyzed retrospectively at our institution from 2015--2024. Patients were divided into two groups according to whether internal fixation was used. Demographics, cyst activity, the cyst area, the healing time of pathological fractures and cysts, clinical and radiological outcomes, the time to activity and complications were analyzed.

Results

Eighteen patients in the noninternal fixation group and 19 patients in the internal fixation group were included. There was no significant difference between these two groups in terms of age, duration of follow-up, fracture at diagnosis, cyst activity, or healing time of pathological fractures and cysts. The cyst area in the internal fixation group was 1609±1131 mm², which was significantly greater than that in the group without internal fixation (936±597 mm², P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the clinical or radiological outcomes between the two groups. Patients who were treated with internal fixation were able to return to activity significantly sooner than those who were not (5.9 months vs 7.7 months; P<0.05). There was no significant difference in complications between the two groups (P = 1.000).

Conclusions

Surgical treatment of proximal femoral UBCs in children remains a challenge . The use of internal fixation is beneficial for accelerating the healing process and reducing the time to activity.