FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME OF GIANT CELL TUMOR OF DISTAL RADIUS AFTER EN-BLOC RESECTION AND NON-VASCULARIZED FIBULAR BONE GRAFTING
Authors: Seetharam Vanamali B. , Sunil B. , Babu Satish , Bhat Vikram G. K. 
Published: June 2024

Introduction: Giant cell Tumors (GCT) are relatively common lesions that are most often encountered in middle aged women [Salunke AA, Shah J, Warikoo V, Chakraborty A, Pokharkar H, Chen Y, Pruthi M, Pandit J. Giant cell tumor of distal radius treated with ulnar translocation and wrist arthrodesis. J Orthop Surg 2017 25(1): 2309499016684972, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1177/2309499016684972 ]. As 25% of these are usually locally aggressive, early diagnosis, and treatment are of paramount importance [Dorfman HD, Czerniak B. Bone Tumors. St. Louis, Mosby (1998)]. Due to the high incidence of local recurrence following simple curettage, it is no longer a preferred line of treatment. In recent times, extended curettage, wide resection or en-bloc resection with bone grafting have supplanted simple curettage [Şirin E, Akgülle AH, Topkar OM, Sofulu Ö, Baykan SE, Erol B. Mid-term results of intralesional extended curettage, cauterization, and polymethylmethacrylate cementation in the treatment of giant cell tumor of bone: A retrospective case series. Acta Orthop Traumatol Turc 54(5): 524–529, 2020, https://doi.org/10.5152/j.aott.2020.19082 ].

Case Scenario: A 22-year-old female patient presented to the OPD with a swelling in her right wrist which she noticed two years back. The swelling gradually increased to the size of a lemon at presentation and was initially painless but eventually became painful. The patient was evaluated based on clinical history, examination, and radiography. A clinical and radiological diagnosis of GCT of the distal radius was made. FNAC was done to confirm the same. Further, the lungs were screened for metastasis. She underwent en-bloc resection of the lesion followed by reconstruction with non-vascularized proximal fibular autograft secured with a DCP and [Formula: see text] -wires. The excised specimen was dispatched for Fig. 1. The swelling at presentation histopathological examination and confirmed to be a Giant Cell Tumor. Regular follow-up schedule was initiated at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 1 year, 36 weeks, and 2 years postoperatively. Her functional outcome was monitored by assessing the wrist range of movements and the Mayo wrist scores.

Results: The patient’s Mayo wrist scores showed an increasing trend during follow-up, indicating improved functional outcomes. Recurrence was not noted during the follow-up period.

Discussion: Tumor in the distal radius metaphyseoepiphyseal region is commonly associated with extracompartmental involvement, cortical invasion, and pathologic fracture [Yang YF, Wang JW, Huang P, Xu ZH. Distal radius reconstruction with vascularized proximal fibular autograft after en-bloc resection of recurrent giant cell tumor. BMC Musculoskelet Disord 17(1): 346, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-016-1211-8 ]. Hence, curettage is not an optimal method in the distal radius. Thus, wide excision is the optimal choice of treatment. However, this creates a defect at the distal end of the radius. The preferred options for the management of the defect comprise of osteoarticular allografts, vascularized grafts, non-vascularized bone grafts, and custom-made prostheses [Saini R, Bali K, Bachhal V, Mootha AK, Dhillon MS, Gill SS. En bloc excision and autogenous fibular reconstruction for aggressive giant cell tumor of distal radius: a report of 12 cases and review of literature. J Orthop Surg Res 6 : 14, 2011, https://doi.org/10.1186/1749-799X-6-14 ]. Vascularized bone grafts have been proposed to have a better union rate and lesser complication rate as compared to non-vascularized options. Thus, with our case report, we would like to highlight the effectiveness of the non-vascularized proximal fibular autograft in the reconstruction following en bloc excision of the distal radius.

Conclusion: Hence, en-bloc resection and non-vascularized fibular bone grafting is a valuable method of treatment of GCTs of the distal radius. It is also associated with low recurrence rates and improved wrist function in the course of follow-up.