Background: A solitary osteochondroma of the finger occasionally occurs intra-articularly and may cause clinical symptoms, including limited motion and deformity. The present report describes the clinical features and the results of operative treatment for a series of patients who had a solitary intra-articular osteochondroma of the finger.
Methods: Ten patients with a solitary intra-articular osteochondroma of a phalanx of a finger were managed surgically. Eight patients were male, and two were female. The average age at the time of surgery was fourteen years. Treatment consisted of mass excision for three patients and mass excision with corrective osteotomy for six. One additional patient had a boutonniere deformity and underwent extensor tendon reconstruction combined with mass excision. The average duration of follow-up was forty-four months.
Results: The proximal phalanx was affected in six patients, and the middle phalanx was affected in four. All tumors involved the distal epiphysis. All patients had postoperative improvement in terms of deformity and/or limitation of motion. Six patients had a preoperative mean coronal plane deformity of 29 degrees, which improved to 4 degrees after surgery. The preoperative mean arc of flexion-extension improved from 54 degrees to 78 degrees in four patients who had a motion deficit at the proximal interphalangeal joint and from 60 degrees to 80 degrees in one patient who had a motion deficit at the distal interphalangeal joint. Two patients had a residual flexion contracture, one with preexisting osteoarthritis and one with a longstanding progressive boutonniere deformity. There were no other complications or recurrences.
Conclusions: Isolated intra-articular osteochondroma of the finger can cause deformity and/or motion limitation. Early mass excision and corrective osteotomy when indicated are recommended to restore full range of motion and to prevent osteoarthritis and secondary deformity.