The Treatment of HME

Click here to find out where the information in this section came from. You should read about the effects of HME before reading this page which follows on from it.

Most people with HME will need some form of treatment at some time in their lives, but often the treatment is minor and you may only be in hospital overnight. Some of the reasons for surgery are:

 

Cosmetic

Lumps on the knees, ribs and other places may become rather noticeable or get in the way. They can often be removed.

 

Blocking movement

If a lump is close to a joint, it may limit or block normal movement. It may be possible to correct this by removing the exostosis.

 

Pressing on a nerve or tendon

If a lump is pressing on a nerve (causing tingling, electric shocks, numbness or pain) or on a tendon (causing twanging), it may need to be removed to prevent damage.

 

Uneven growth

In the forearm or lower leg, where there are two bones, an exostosis on one of them can slow its growth and cause problems for the other. This should be corrected if possible, before the changes become too great.

One method of treatment, introduced recently, is to divide the shorter bone and stabilize it with a fixator (a little gadget that is screwed to either side of the break), then gradually lengthen the bone over a period of several months.

Pain and discomfort

Treatment may be required if a lump is particularly painful or a bursa has developed over it and become inflamed.

 

Thick cartilage

Some exostoses develop an especially thick cartilage which may need to be removed, either because it is getting in the way or to exclude malignancy.

 

Suspicion of malignancy

As mentioned earlier, an exostosis can very rarely turn into a malignant tumour called a chondrosarcoma. The warning signs are an increase in size or discomfort after growth has stopped, or unusually rapid growth.

You should always report this sort of change to your doctor.