Embolization in the treatment of aneurysmal bone cysts

Eight patients with aneurysmal bone cysts (ABC) were treated with selective embolization as an adjunct to curettage and bone graft in seven cases and as the definitive procedure in the remaining case. The age range was 5-23 years. Symptoms had been present for an average duration of 6 months. The lesions were located in the femur (three), the shoulder girdle (three), the tibia (one), and the pubis (one). Two patients had recurrent lesions, and six were primary. Average follow-up was 3 years (2-4.6 years). There were no recurrences and no complications related to embolization. All lesions ossified including the pubic lesion, which was treated with embolization alone. One patient with an ABC adjacent to the distal femoral physis had growth disturbance and a second who had an extensive acromial lesion had mild degenerative changes of the acromioclavicular joint.