A comparison of treating Unicameral bone cyst using steroids and percutaneous autologous bone marrow aspiration injection.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the results of percutaneous autologous bone aspiration injection and steroids injections in the treatment of unicameral bone cyst.

METHODS: The prospective study was conducted at Mayo Hospital, Lahore, from January 2008 to March 2014, and comprised patients diagnosed radiologically as a case of unicameral bone cyst. The patients were divided into two groups, with group 1 being treated with bone marrow aspiration injection, while group 2 was given steroids injection. Aspiration of bone marrow was done from tibial tuberosity.

RESULTS: The 30 patients in the study were divided into two groups of 15(50%) each. In group 1, 8(53.34%) patients and in group 2, 3 (20%) patients achieved healing after the first injection (p<0.05), while overall success rates were 13(86.67%) in group 1, and 11(73.33%) in group 2 (p> 0.05). The mean number of procedures required in group 1 was 1.57± 0.495 (range: 01-3) and for 2.19 ± 1.076 (range: 1-5) in group 2 (p<0.05), and mean interval-to-healing was 14.3 months ± 8.705 (range: 7-36) for group 1 and 12.5 months ± 7.88 (range: 4-32) for group 2 (p> 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Bone marrow aspiration injection was better than steroids in treating unicameral bone cyst.