Simple bone cyst of the calcaneus. A case report and literature review

Abstract

The authors presented a case report of a patient presenting with heel pain symptoms and physical findings similar to those associated with a heel spur syndrome. With a standard x-ray, the presence of a simple bone cyst was evident. Although mainly reported in tubular bones, steroid injection therapy has been successful and appears to be replacing surgical curettage and packing as the preferred choice of treatment in many cases. As more reports of the successful eradication of simple bone cysts of the calcaneus with steroid injections are reported, greater confidence for using it as a treatment choice for this particular lesion may be gained. The surgical approach in the patient presented here was chosen because of factors that the authors believe increased the likelihood of a pathologic fracture, such as size and extent of the lesion, history of progressive pain, and activity level of the patient. The larger body weight and the resulting stress of the patient more likely to present with a calcaneal cyst may also be factors to consider.