CARTOGRAPHY OF TUMORAL AND PSEUDOTUMORAL LESIONS OF THE PROXIMAL FEMUR

This study of the topographic distribution of tumoral and pseudotumora l lesions of the proximal femur shows that certain lesions have a pref erential site, for example osteoid osteoma affects the internal cortex of the neck and diaphysis or the intertrochanteric zone ; chondroblas toma occurs in zones of epiphyseal ossification of the head ; fibrous dysplasia affects the femoral neck, while sparing the epiphyseal femor al head and trochanters. The island of osteosclerosis is situated, at least partially, in the support fan ; so-called physiological cysts ar e situated on or above the midline of the neck and below the basicapit al line. Osteolytic or mixed metastases preferentially involve Ward's triangle in the femoral neck and the intertrochanteric region. The sit es of these lesions therefore appears to depend on the bony architectu re which, in turn, is dependent on mechanical stresses. However, this purely morphological study fails to demonstrate whether mechanical str esses influence the development of these lesions.