ENCHONDROMA OF THE HAND - CLINICAL-EVALUATION OF DIAGNOSIS, SURGICAL-TREATMENT, AND OUTCOME

Enchondroma are benign cartilaginous tumors and are localized most oft en at the site of the phalanges. Between 1982 and 1993 73 patients wit h monostotic enchondroma and 5 patients with polyostotic enchondroma w ere operated at our clinic. Clinical signs of monostotic rumors were p athological fracture (38.4 %), pain or swelling. Eleven percent of cas es were accidental findings. Surgical treatment was performed by compl ete removal of the tumors and filling the bone cavity with autologous spongiosa taken from the pelvic bones, the elbow, or the radius. Three patients (4.1 %) had to be operated a second time due to wound infect ions and hematoma. In one case Sudeck's dystrophy was diagnosed. One p atient (1.4 %) developed a recurrent tumor. Our follow-up examination of 65 patients showed that 77 % of the patients with monostotic enchon droma achieve very good or good functional long-term results after thi s operation, but only 40 % of the patients with polyostotic enchondrom a.