Treatment of Unicameral Bone Cyst by Prodense Injection

Purpose: Different treatment modalities have been utilized to treat unicameral bone cyst (UBC), but evidence has not been fully described to support one treatment over another and the optimal treatment is controversial. The aim of this quantitative systematic review was to assess the effectiveness of UBC treated by Prodense injection in our medical center.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 12 patients with pathologically confirmed UBC who were treated with Prodense injection in our medical center between April 2013 and August 2016 at a single institution. The average age of the patients at time of surgical intervention was 9.2 years of age (range, 3 to 16 y). Average follow-up was 18 months (range, 6 to 36 mo). Radiographic healing, clinical outcomes, and complications were evaluated.

Results: Final follow-up radiographs demonstrated healing in 90% (11 of 12) of patients after a single procedure. Complete healing was observed in 10 patients and partially healed with a defect in 1 of 12 patients. One patient had a persistent cyst but did not wish to receive further treatment. All patients returned to full activities including sports on average at 4 months (range, 1 to 6 mo) and were asymptomatic on most recent follow-up. No postoperative complications, including refracture, were observed.

Conclusions: Prodense injection for UBC in the pediatric population demonstrates encouraging results with low recurrence rates and complications compared with conventional methods. Due to the heterogeneity of the studies and reporting bias, the interpretation of these findings should be handled with caution.