Vol. 3, Issue 2 (2017)

Fibular head osteochondroma causing tingling numbness in leg due to entrapment neuropathy of common peroneal nerve – A rare case report

Author(s):

Dr. Ghaniuzzoha Asadi, Dr. Aditya Sadawarte and Dr. Prutvi Shetty

Abstract:
Osteochondromas are the benign tumors of the bone located mainly in the metaphyses of long bones. It is a very common benign developmental tumor of appendicular skeleton which can arise from any bone that develops from endochondral ossification. The tumor is usually covered by a 1-3 mm cartilaginous cap composed of hyaline cartilage. Etiology of osteochondroma is thought to be a misdirected growth of a portion of the physeal plate. It appears mostly in children or adolescents and more common in males. The growth of osteochondroma usually ceases at skeletal maturity. The radiological pathognomonic characteristic of this tumor is the cortical and marrow continuity of the lesion with the adjacent bone. The lesion may be solitary or multiple. Most common site for solitary osteochondroma is the long bones around knee i.e distal end of femur and proximal tibia. Rare sites of occurrence are the scapula, the pelvis, the fibula, the spine, the metacarpals and the metatarsals. The incidence of primary bone tumor in the fibula is rare (2.5%). Entrapment neuropathy of common peroneal nerve occur while it winds around neck of fibula. At this particular location, the nerve is superficial and covered only by subcutaneous tissue and fat. Many reasons for entrapment neuropathy of common peroneal nerve has been mentioned in literature of which fibular head osteochondroma is a rare one. We report a case of 21 year old male who presented with bony hard painless swelling on posterolateral aspect of left knee and tingling numbness of left leg and left foot due to extraneural compression of common peroneal nerve at fibular neck by fibular head osteochondroma which recovered completely after excision of tumorous mass. A histopathological examination of the mass confirmed the diagnosis of a benign osteochondroma. Recurrence of osteochondroma after its surgical excision is rare and can be attributed to incomplete removal of the cartilaginous cap. Prognosis after complete excision is excellent.

Pages: 73-75  |  2289 Views  288 Downloads

How to cite this article:
Dr. Ghaniuzzoha Asadi, Dr. Aditya Sadawarte and Dr. Prutvi Shetty. Fibular head osteochondroma causing tingling numbness in leg due to entrapment neuropathy of common peroneal nerve – A rare case report. Int. J. Orthop. Sci. 2017;3(2):73-75. DOI: 10.22271/ortho.2017.v3.i2b.13