Predicting Fracture Risk for Enchondroma of the Hand

Background: Enchondromas are benign cartilage tumors that can cause pathologic fractures involving the digits of the hand. The purpose of this study is to identify objective reproducible clinical criteria that are associated with fracture that can be used to guide clinical decision making. Methods: A total of 54 enchondroma cases involving the hand were retrospectively reviewed. Criteria examined included age, gender, the hand involved (left vs right), bone involved, the digit involved, and longitudinal percentage of the bone occupied by the lesion on anteroposterior (AP) radiographs. Results: There was a statistically significant difference between the fracture and nonfracture group in regard to age, the digit involved, bone involved, and the percentage of bone occupied by the lesion on AP radiographs. Conclusion: This investigation provides evidence that patient age, the affected finger, the affected bone, and the percentage of the bone occupied by the pathologic lesion on AP radiographs can be used to predict pathologic fracture risk for enchondromas.