Surgical treatment of rare case of scapula osteochondroma in a resource limited setting: A case report

Introduction: Osteochondroma also known as exostosis is one of the most common benign bone tumours, and are characterized by bone protuberances surrounded by a cartilage layer. They generally affect the extremities of the long bones in an immature skeleton and deform them. They are easily diagnosed at the level of the appendicular skeleton. However, atypical localization and malignancy are sometimes challenging to diagnose on clinical evaluation and plain radiography. Therefore, more refine diagnostic tools may be required. Scapula localization of solitary exostosis is relatively rare. Case presentation: We report the case of a 17 years old male patient reporting worsening shoulder pain since 3 years with right scapula winging. Computer tomography (CT) scan revealed an osteochondroma on the ventro-medial surface of the right scapula extending into the scapulo-thoracic space. Surgical excision was done and histopathological study confirmed osteochondroma of the scapula. We noted excellent post-operative pain alleviation after two weeks, full range of motion and a better self-esteem. Discussion: The scapula is involved in 3.0–6.4% of all cases. Osteochondroma usually arises on the anterior surface of the scapula. Surgical excision is an excellent treatment option for symptomatic patients with scapula osteochondroma. In our case presentation we used a muscle sparing technique. No muscle detachment will ensure rapid and better postoperative recovery. Surgical removal is useful in eliminating painful symptoms and avoids possible malignant transformation. Conclusion: Good clinical outcome is expected with surgical excision of symptomatic scapula osteochondromas especially using muscle-sparing technique which offers a quick functional rehabilitation of patients.