Radius cyst

The radius is a paired bone structure that is part of the forearm and is located in the anterior outer part of the ulna.

To understand how and why a radial bone cyst forms in this area, you need to remember the radius device:

• The body of the bone is triangular in shape and has three superficial zones: posterior, anterior, and lateral.
• Upper epiphysis.
• Lower epiphysis.

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Symptoms of Radial Bone Cyst

Solitary cysts are most often formed in the radius bone, which are easier to treat and subside faster in the case of a pathological fracture. Aneurysmal tumors in this bone are extremely rare, they develop more actively than solitary ones, are more pronounced in terms of clinical signs and most often recur. In general, any cystic formation in the radius bone is rather fibrous in nature, and often, with fractures, hygromas and other types of synovial neoplasms form in bone tissue, which can be mistakenly defined as ACC. One way or another, a benign tumor in the bone tissue of the forearm, especially in the radius bone, develops asymptomatically for a long time and its first sign is a pathological, spontaneous fracture.

A fracture can occur when carrying something heavy, getting a bruise, falling, or when a person instinctively leans on outstretched arms. According to statistics, a pathological fracture is observed in 65-70% of cases in the distal epimetaphysis of the radius. If the fracture is not caused by osteoporosis or other bone pathologies, it is in this area that a bone cyst should be detected. The injury is often combined with the following injuries:

• Crack or fracture of the processus styloideus – the styloid process of the elbow.
• Dislocation of the os lunatum – the lunate bone.
• Fracture of the tarsus (os scaphoideum) – navicular bone.
• Sprain or tear of the wrist ligament.

In children, such fractures may occur due to metabolic disorders. In adults, especially women, in addition to the fact that the intraosseous cyst destroys the structure of the radius tissue, the injury may be provoked by hormonal changes and osteoporosis.

Diagnosis of radial bone cyst

The diagnosis of a fracture is confirmed by an X-ray in two projections; if a cyst is suspected, a computed tomography or scintigraphy should be prescribed. The detected cyst must be punctured, the material is sent to the laboratory for histological examination. As a rule, a radial bone cyst is detected after the swelling has subsided, after 10-14 days, so during this period it is advisable to conduct a repeat X-ray examination to confirm or exclude the presence of a benign tumor in the bone tissue.

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Treatment of radial bone cyst

In general, a pathological fracture in children under 15 years of age is considered a kind of "therapeutic" injury, after which the radial bone cyst in most cases decreases and disappears. Adult patients with a detected cyst should be monitored for 2-3 months after the fracture; if the cyst does not subside, it is removed surgically.

Both after a fracture of the radius and after cyst resection, complications are possible, and they are especially common in elderly patients over 55-60 years of age:

• Trophoneurosis, post-traumatic dystrophy of the arm tissues.
• Pinched nerve endings, median nerve neuritis (Turner's disease).
• Bone deformity due to improper healing of the bone after a fracture.
• Post-traumatic "spotted" osteoporosis.

To prevent the damaged bone from shifting, osteotomy and replacement of the resection part with artificial or autologous material are performed for filling and closing the bone defect during the operation to remove the radial bone cyst. Restoring the function of the hand takes at least six months, adult patients recover longer - up to one and a half years.