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Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery - British Volume, Vol 84-B, Issue 6,
870-872.
doi: 10.1302/0301-620X.84B6.12585 Copyright © 2002 by British Editorial Society of Bone and Joint Surgery Eosinophilic granulomaA DIFFERENT BEHAVIOUR IN CHILDREN THAN IN ADULTSF. Plasschaert, MD, Senior Orthopaedic Surgeon1; C. Craig, MD, Associate Professor2; R. Bell, MD, FRCS C, Professor3; W. G. Cole, PhD, FRCS C, Professor4; J. S. Wunder, MD, FRCS C, Associate Professor3; and B. A. Alman, MD, FRCS C, Canadian Research Chair4
1 Department of Orthopaedics, University of Gent, De Pintelaan 185B-9000 Gent, Belgium. Correspondence should be sent to Dr B. A. Alman. Localised Langerhans-cell histiocytosis of bone (eosinophilic granuloma) is a benign tumour-like condition with a variable clinical course. Different forms of treatment have been reported to give satisfactory results. However, previous series all contain patients with a wide age range. Our aim was to investigate the effect of skeletal maturity on the rate of recurrence of isolated eosinophilic granuloma of bone excluding those arising in the spine. We followed up 32 patients with an isolated eosinophilic granuloma for a mean of five years; 17 were skeletally immature. No recurrences were noted in the skeletally immature group even after biopsy alone. By contrast, four of 13 skeletally mature patients had a recurrence and required further surgery. This suggests that eosinophilic granuloma has a low rate of recurrence in skeletally immature patients.
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