Novel Treatment of Unicameral & Aneurysmal Bone Cysts

In this episode, pediatric interventional radiologist Dr. Shankar Rajeswaran joins host Dr. Sabeen Dhand to discuss a novel minimally-invasive treatment for unicameral and aneurysmal bone cysts.

Pediatric interventional radiology is a rapidly growing field, and Dr. Rajeswaran describes how it has evolved in complexity and innovation over the course of his career. Dr. Rajeswaran says that there is a significant challenge that pediatric IRs must overcome-- treating children with IR devices that were originally designed to be used in adults. As a result, he emphasizes the need for creativity and flexibility in this field.

Next, we define and differentiate between unicameral and aneurysmal bone cysts. Both can be benign; however, they carry the risk of causing pain, bone fracture, and growth deformities. Dr. Rajeswaran outlines the current standard of care, which includes monitoring and curettage and bone grafting. Then, he describes a new method of treatment, which involves needle injection of doxycycline to burn the walls of the cyst and bone paste to help generate new bone. This method can be applied to unicameral bone cysts and aneurysmal bone cysts, and it leaves no scarring. He also discusses the recurrence rate for various treatment methods.

Overall, Dr. Rajeswaran encourages anyone interested in pediatric IR to reach out to doctors in the field for shadowing opportunities and guidance.