Exostosis: what is it? The causes of the appearance of bone growths and modern methods of their treatment

Often at a doctor's appointment, patients hear a misunderstood diagnosis - exostosis. What it is? How serious can such a disease be? What are the reasons for its occurrence? These questions are of interest to many people who have faced such a problem.

Exostosis - what is it?

Exostosis is nothing more than a growth on the surface of the bone. By the way, similar neoplasms can have different sizes and shapes. For example, there are growths in the form of a fungus or cauliflower. Bone exostosis consists of compact spongy tissue.

In some cases, build-ups are formed from cartilage. Although, it is worth noting that the term "cartilaginous exostosis" is a bit wrong. Yes, the neoplasm arises from the cartilaginous elements, but then it becomes stiff, turning into a spongy tissue. And its surface is covered with hyaline cartilage, which, in fact, is the zone of growth.

Exostosis and the causes of its formation

In fact, the reasons for the formation of such build-up may be different. As a rule, neoplasms are the result of excess tissue growth at the site of bone trauma - this is often observed with fractures, fissures, surgical intervention, etc.

But there are other risk factors. According to statistical data, children and adolescents often face such problems, which is often associated with physiological characteristics, namely, the intensity of growth. In addition, hereditary communication is often tracked. In addition, the causes include various chronic inflammatory diseases of the bones. Sometimes growths appear against the background of fibrositis and inflammation of mucous bags. The cause may be chondromatosis of bones, as well as aseptic necrosis. Quite often exostoses develop in people suffering from congenital anomalies of the skeleton. In addition, growths may indicate a benign bone tumor, being a complication. It is worth noting that not always doctors can find out the causes and origin of the disease.

Main symptoms

In most cases, growths do not cause a person any discomfort. The disease is asymptomatic and is found quite accidentally during a routine examination. Nevertheless, some people have signs that help diagnose exostosis. What are these symptoms?

First of all, it is worth noting the discomfort and soreness that occurs during movements, pressure on the bone or physical strain (depending on the location of exostosis). The intensity of these symptoms, as a rule, increases with the growth of the neoplasm. If the built-up edge is closer to the joint, it can significantly limit the amplitude of movements. Quite often exostosis can be palpated, sometimes even independently.

Modern diagnostic methods

In fact, such a disease is relatively easy to diagnose. To suspect the presence of a build-up the doctor can still during the examination of the patient, as neoplasms in some places are easily probed under the skin. In addition, an important role in diagnosis is the history and symptoms present.

To confirm the diagnosis, the patient is assigned an X-ray study. Exostosis is easy to see in the picture. By the way, the actual dimensions of the built-up edge, as a rule, are several millimeters larger, as the cartilaginous tissue is not visible on the radiographic image.

In some cases, additional research is required. In particular, this applies to cases when the built-up edge rapidly increases in size, because there is always a chance of malignant cell degeneration. In such cases, patients are assigned a biopsy, during which tissue samples are taken with further cytological laboratory testing.

Methods of treatment

In fact, in modern medicine, there is only one method of treatment - the removal of exostosis by surgery. Naturally, surgical intervention is not necessary for every patient. After all, as already mentioned, quite often such growths do not pose any threat to health, and the disease does not occur at all without any visible symptoms. Surgical removal of exostosis is necessary if the growth is larger or grows too fast. In addition, indications for surgical intervention are severe pain and movement problems. Some patients agree to surgery if the build-up is a strong cosmetic defect.

Modern methods of medicine can get rid of tumors in the shortest possible time. Bone exostosis is removed through a small incision length of 1-2 centimeters. This operation is considered to be minimally invasive, does not require special training, long hospitalization and rehabilitation - as a rule, people begin to return gradually to their usual life after a few days after the procedure.

Exostosis of the bone and possible complications

As already mentioned, in some cases even a small bone growth can lead to a lot of problems and affect the quality of life. Moreover, there are some complications with which exostosis is fraught. What are these problems? To begin with, it should be noted that a greatly enlarged neoplasm often rests against adjacent bones, which leads to their gradual deformation. To complications, it is also possible to include fractures of the exostosis legs, which, however, is extremely rare. But the greatest danger remains the risk of malignant degeneration. In some patients, the appearance of such a build-up was a harbinger of the appearance of a tumor - most often the cancer affects the pelvic and hip bones , as well as vertebrae and scapula.