Isolated primary bone tumours of the lesser trochanter: Demographics, diagnosis and management

Primary bone tumours arising from the lesser trochanter (LT) are rare and the literature describing them is sparse. In this paper, we describe the largest series of LT tumours describing the demographics, diagnosis and management.

A retrospective search of prospectively maintained radiology and oncology databases was performed to identify bone tumours of the LT diagnosed between 2007 and 2018. Metastatic lesions were excluded. All cases were re-reviewed by a senior Radiologist and all case of isolated tumours of the LT were included.

23 cases of isolated LT tumours were identified. There were 15 males and 8 females. Mean age of our cohort was 32 (14-63) years. Most (n = 19, 82.6%) cases had classic radiological (Radiographic, MR Imaging and CT) features and therefore did not undergo biopsy. 4 patients had equivocal radiological investigations that required biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. MR imaging was the most commonly used imaging modality for diagnosis (n = 17, 73.9%)There was a broad range of tumour subtypes, and osteochondroma (n = 17, 73.9%) the most frequently diagnosed. Surgical excision was performed in 4 patients (all osteochondromas) and 4 patients underwent therapeutic radiological guided hip injections for symptomatic relief. The remaining cases were managed conservatively and where they were identified incidentally, no intervention was required.

We report the largest case series of isolated primary bone tumours of the LT. All isolated primary bone tumours of LT are benign. Osteochondroma is the most common. The diagnosis can be made with on radiological investigations in most patients.