Certain conclusions may be drawn from this case concerning the role of the epiphyseal plate in solitary bone cysts.
1. Apparently the cysts are usually delimited by the cartilage plate from extension into the epiphysis, but this rule is not infallible, and one must not be guided by this finding alone in arriving at a preoperative diagnosis.
2. A defect in the cartilage plate may not limit growth in the area of the defect unless the peripheral portion of the plate—that adjacent to the cortex—is also destroyed.
3. Curettage and filling the cavity with bone chips, as reported by numerous authors 1-5. 7, arrests the progress of the lesions and results in the cavity being filled with normal-appearing bone. Even when a cavity is packed, so that the bone crosses into the epiphyseal area through a defect in the epiphyseal-cartilage plate, it probably will not arrest normal bone growth.