Risk Assessment for Pathological Fracture After Bone Tumour Biopsy

Aim: This study aimed to identify the risk of pathological fractures after bone tumour biopsy.

Materials and methods: Fifty rabbit femurs were divided into groups according to defect size: Control (no defect), type 1 (10% width), type 2 (20% width), type 3 (30% width), and type 4 (40% width). Another 20 were also divided into control, type A (27% length), type B (40% length), and type C (53% length) groups. Performing femoral head compression testing allowed each parameter (maximum load, displacement, elastic modulus, and fracture energy) to be calculated individually.

Results: Compressive maximum load was significantly higher for type 1 than for the other types when testing rectangular defects of different widths, while there were no significant differences between the three types when testing by defect length.

Conclusion: It may be useful for orthopaedic oncologists to make a rectangular biopsy hole with a width measuring less than 10% of the circumference and to enlarge the hole longitudinally to avoid pathological fracture.