A rare bone cyst in a fingertip was cured with surgery that saved the finger.

An aneurysmal bone cyst is a rare, noncancerous bone growth. Having one in the finger bone near the fingertip, called the distal phalanx, is exceptionally rare. Usually, doctors might amputate the finger tip for this type of tumor. In this case, a 33-year-old woman developed worsening swelling and redness on her right index fingertip. Instead of cutting the fingertip off, surgeons operated through the palm side of her hand. They cut out the lesion and carefully scraped out the damaged tissue while keeping the bone in place. Four years later, the patient had no pain, moved her finger fully, and showed no signs of the cyst returning. This shows doctors can safely save the finger bone instead of amputating it.

Why it matters

This case shows that a rare, non-cancerous bone cyst in the fingertip can be treated without amputating the finger. The patient kept full movement and had no recurrence after four years. When hand tumors appear, doctors should consider this possibility before resorting to amputation.

Questions answered