Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 16, 2025
A Rat Tibial Growth Plate Injury Model to Characterize Repair Mechanisms and Evaluate Growth Plate Regeneration Strategies
Published on: July 4, 2017
Thin Cartilage Cap May Be Related to the Spontaneous Regression in Pediatric Patients with Osteochondroma
Ryohei Adachi1, Tomoki Nakamura1, Kunihiro Asanuma1
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu 514-8507, Japan.
Background:
The spontaneous regression of osteochondromas is rare, and only a few cases have been reported. Furthermore, the precise mechanism underlying spontaneous regression is unknown. This study aimed to examine the radiological findings of osteochondromas that had spontaneous regression and to identify potential indicators of this uncommon phenomenon in skeletally immature patients with osteochondromas.
Methods:
We included 28 patients (15 males and 13 females) who met the eligibility criteria between 2002 and 2019. The mean age at initial diagnosis was 9.7 years old (2-16 years). The mean follow-up period was 6.4 years (3-16 years).
Results:
Of the 28 patients, 10 (35.7%) had osteochondroma resolution. The osteochondroma resolved in one patient and regressed in nine. Tumor shrinkage is related to the thickness of the cartilage cap. The thickness of the cartilage cap did not correlate with age.
Conclusions:
Tumor shrinkage is associated with a thinner cartilage cap on magnetic resonance imaging. The thickness of the cartilage cap may be an important predictor of spontaneous regression in pediatric patients with osteochondroma.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Growth of Cartilage and Bone Tissue
01:24Bone Formation by Endochondral Ossification
01:09Changes in the Appendicular Skeleton with Age
Initially, the limb buds consist of a core of mesenchyme covered by a layer of ectoderm. The ectoderm at the end of the limb bud thickens to form a narrow crest called the apical ectodermal ridge. This ridge stimulates the underlying...
01:07Development of the Limb Synovial Joints
The mesenchymal stem cells differentiate into chondrocytes that form the hyaline cartilage, and later the cartilaginous model of the bone. This model further transforms into a bone. This process is known as endochondral ossification.
During development, the limbs...
01:29Bone Formation by Intramembranous Ossification
The process begins when mesenchymal cells in the embryonic skeleton gather together and differentiate into osteogenic cells, which then develop into ...
01:40Bone Remodeling