Chondroblastoma. A review of seventy cases.

We reviewed the cases of seventy patients with chondroblastoma who were treated at the Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli between 1949 and 1983 and found that the proximal end of the humerus was the most common location (eighteen), with the proximal end of the femur (fifteen), distal end of the femur (fifteen), and proximal end of the tibia (twelve) being the other frequently involved sites. Sixty-three of the patients were between eleven and thirty years old. Fifty-eight patients sought medical attention because of an aching pain, usually referred to the adjacent joint. Fifty patients were followed for two years or longer after treatment. Seven patients had a local recurrence: four were successfully treated with a repeat curettage and one, by two subsequent marginal excisions; one was advised to have a repeat curettage; and the seventh was advised to have a resection and arthrodesis of the knee. The final functional results were considered to be excellent in forty-seven of the fifty patients who were followed for two years or more.