Medizinische Universität Graz Austria/Österreich - Forschungsportal - Medical University of Graz
Gewählte Publikation:
Woltsche, J.
Prevalence of enchondromas and atypical cartilaginous tumours in the knee and shoulder region as identified on MRI.
Humanmedizin; [ Diplomarbeit ] Medizinische Universität Graz; 2023. pp. 65
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- Autor*innen der Med Uni Graz:
- Woltsche Johannes Nikolaus
- Betreuer*innen:
- Leithner Andreas
- Smolle Maria Anna
- Altmetrics:
- Abstract:
- Introduction: Enchondroma is a benign intraosseous cartilage tumour of the bone with atypical cartilaginous tumour (ACT) representing its intermediate counterpart in the appendicular skeleton. As most of these tumours present clinically silent, they are usually discovered as an incidental finding on imaging performed for other reasons. Therefore, little is known regarding the true prevalence of enchondromas and ACTs around the shoulder and the knee. Five studies based on small- to intermediate-sized cohorts have presented figures for the prevalence of enchondromas of the knee and only one small-sized study has examined the prevalence of benign cartilage tumours around the shoulder. The aim of this diploma thesis was to challenge/validate the results of these studies via analysis of significantly larger patient cohorts for knee and shoulder. Material & Methods: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) reports of all patients who had undergone MRI of the knee (44.762 patients) or shoulder (21.550 patients) between 01.01.2007 and 01.03.2020 at a radiological institute were electronically searched for diagnosis of enchondromas and ACTs. Results obtained were reexamined by the diploma student. If cases presented inconclusive, MRI scans and reports were thoroughly checked by an experienced radiologist and an expert orthopedic oncologist. Results: Investigation of 44.762 patients who had received a knee MRI in the study period revealed that 651 of them had a cartilage tumour. As some patients presented with two lesions, 672 tumour cases were ultimately found, with 22 of them classified as ACTs. This resulted in a prevalence of 1.45% for cartilage lesions around the knee (enchondromas: 1.4%; ACTs: 0.05%). Examination of 21.550 patients with a shoulder MRI showed that 93 patients had a cartilaginous tumour. Altogether 97 tumour cases (89 enchondromas, 8 ACTs) were revealed. Therefore, a prevalence of 0.43% can be reported for cartilaginous lesions around the shoulder (enchondromas: 0.39%; ACTs: 0.04%). Conclusion: Due to enormous number of included MRI scans, it can be supposed that this diploma thesis has the power to provide exact figures regarding prevalence of enchondromas and ACTs around the knee and the shoulder. The findings show that prevalences of enchondromas/ACTs around the knee and shoulder have largely been overestimated.