Simple curettage without bone grafting for enchondromas of the foot

Background. Simple curettage without bone grafting for enchondromas of the hand and its good clinical results have been reported. Yet, there have been no reports regarding simple curettage without bone grafting for enchondromas of the foot. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the clinical results of this method for enchondromas of the foot. Methods. We studied eight patients (ten bones) with enchondromas of the foot treated with simple curettage without bone grafting. After making an oval or round fenestration, the enchondroma was curetted. The cortical window of the fenestration was excised in five bones, whereas it was replaced at the fenestration site in the other five bones. Results. The affected toe was immobilized with a tape in two patients. All patients began to walk on the day of surgery or the next day without crutches. Sclerotic changes on the plain radiographs were seen 6.4 weeks (range: 4-10 weeks) postoperatively. The patients returned to their normal daily activity including occupation and sport in 8.6 weeks (range: 0-12 weeks) postoperatively. The radiographic appearance was almost normalized in 8.4 months on average (range: 3-14 months). Function was classified as excellent in all bones according to a modified Tordai classification. Conclusion. We conclude that simple curettage without bone grafting can be one of the standard surgical treatments for enchondromas of the foot.