title: Treatment of benign and low-grade malignant intramedullary chondroid tumours with curettage and cryosurgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To shed light on the controversy surrounding the methods of evaluating, staging and final treatment of intramedullary chondroid lesions. Controversy particularly exists for enchondroma and low-grade chondrosarcoma located in the extremities, because their accurate distinction is hampered by their radiographical and histological similarity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Since 1991 we have treated 22 patients (mean age: 39.6 years) with 26 lesions (three chondroblastomas, 14 enchondromas and nine grade 1 chondrosarcomas) with curettage, cryosurgery and bone grafting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After a mean follow-up of 26 months no recurrences were observed. Complications consisted of two post-operative fractures, one wound infection and one intraoperative venous gas embolism. All bone grafts incorporated, resulting in full weight-bearing capacity and excellent functional results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The usefulness of a combination of curettage and cryosurgery as adjuvant therapy is considered to be equal to marginal resection according to orthopaedic oncological principles. The pre-operative assessment of these lesions and cryosurgical technique is described in detail.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, University Hospital Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Schreuder
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pruszczynski
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Veth
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Lemmens
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D002804:Chondroblastoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D002812:Chondroma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D002813:Chondrosarcoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D003452:Cryosurgery / Q000379:methods; D003475:Curettage / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005266:Femoral Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006811:Humerus / Q000601:surgery; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography; D016896:Treatment Outcome