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CC BY 4.0 · Arch Plast Surg 2025; 52(03): 137-144
DOI: 10.1055/a-2466-4905
Hand/Peripheral Nerve
Original Article

Long-term Follow-up Study for Fractured and Non-Fractured Hand Enchondromas Treated by Sole Curettage

Cosima Prahm 
1   Department of Hand, Plastic, Reconstructive and Burn Surgery, BG Klinik Tuebingen, University of Tuebingen, Germany
,
Laura Kefalianakis 
1   Department of Hand, Plastic, Reconstructive and Burn Surgery, BG Klinik Tuebingen, University of Tuebingen, Germany
,
Johannes Heinzel 
1   Department of Hand, Plastic, Reconstructive and Burn Surgery, BG Klinik Tuebingen, University of Tuebingen, Germany
,
Jonas Kolbenschlag 
1   Department of Hand, Plastic, Reconstructive and Burn Surgery, BG Klinik Tuebingen, University of Tuebingen, Germany
,
Adrien Daigeler 
1   Department of Hand, Plastic, Reconstructive and Burn Surgery, BG Klinik Tuebingen, University of Tuebingen, Germany
,
Henrik Lauer 
1   Department of Hand, Plastic, Reconstructive and Burn Surgery, BG Klinik Tuebingen, University of Tuebingen, Germany
› Institutsangaben
Funding The authors received no financial support for the preparation, research, authorship, and/or publication of this manuscript. We acknowledge support from the Open Access Publication Fund by the University of Tuebingen.
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Abstract

Background Enchondromas are the most common primary tumors in the small tubular bones of the hand, and fractures are often the result of thinned cortical bone. The main question was whether fractured enchondromas influence long-term clinical and radiological outcomes.

Methods Between 2000 and 2019, 57 patients with previously treated fractured (group I) and non-fractured (group II) hand enchondromas (34 female, 23 male; mean age 39.4 ± 13.7 years) were evaluated for clinical and radiological treatment outcomes. Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36) and Disabilities of the Arm Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaires as well as patient-reported experience measures were used to assess subjective health outcomes. Subsequently, 43 patients underwent clinical and radiological follow-ups. Comparative evaluation of objective treatment outcomes in both groups was conducted in terms of hand functionality, perioperative complications, recurrence rates, and osteogenesis.

Results Almost half of the patients suffered enchondromas with fractures (49.1%, n = 28). Two patients received additional k-wire stabilization due to intraoperative instability. Defect resolution could be reached in 97.7% (n = 42) of all cases. No recurrence of enchondroma was observed. Groups were equal regarding radiological and clinical outcomes. The patient-reported experiences were predominantly positive (86%), and both cohorts had good to very good results with a DASH mean score of 4 (± 6.3). The SF-36 demonstrated a return to normal quality of life in both groups. The mean follow-up time was 7.78 years (± 4.8).

Conclusion Sole curettage of enchondromas yields effective outcomes with good to excellent results regardless of the presence of a fracture. Long-term radiological follow-up is not required until symptomatic recurrence.

Keywords

enchondromas - hand tumors - radiological monitoring - bone augmentation - sole curettage

Authors' Contributions

C.P. did the conceptualization, study design, methodology, data collection, analysis, project administration, and manuscript drafting. L.K. performed the data collection and critical review of the manuscript. J.H. and J.R. performed critical review of the manuscript. J.K. provided surgical expertise and critical review of the draft. A.D. provided overall supervision and surgical expertise, funding acquisition and final manuscript review. H.L. did the study design, interpretation of data, provided surgical expertise, and manuscript drafting.


Ethical Approval

The regional ethics committee of Tübingen approved this study under the number 865/2019BO2 in January 2020.


Patient Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all patients prior to inclusion in the study.


Declaration of Informed Consent

no information in the submitted manuscript that can be used to identify patients.




Publikationsverlauf

Eingereicht: 28. Dezember 2023

Angenommen: 09. Oktober 2024

Accepted Manuscript online:
12. November 2024

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
15. Mai 2025

© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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