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Background: The symptoms of a stress fracture are almost identical to those of most bone tumours. Even with the use of various imaging techniques, it can be difficult to establish the correct diagnosis. Although a primary bone tumour requires early treatment to improve its prognosis, the discriminative factor in the diagnosis of a stress fracture is its clinical development over time., Case Description: A 10-year-old boy was referred to our outpatient clinic on the suspicion of a primary bone tumour in his right tibia., Conclusion: A case was once described in this journal in which a stress fracture had eventually led to an amputation. The suspicion of primary bone tumour often marks the start of a long and intense diagnostic course. A stress fracture is the major diagnostic pitfall when there is a suspicion of such a tumour. If doubts persist after a diagnostic work-up by imaging, consultation with the Bone Tumour Committee is indicated. The patient can also be quickly referred to a centre specialised in treating bone tumours, as was the case in this article.

We describe a 66-year-old woman who presented with firm masses on her left hand, which had recently increased in size, and multiple haemangiomas. A diagnosis of Maffucci syndrome was established. Renewed growth of enchondromas during adulthood is suspicious for malignant transformation. Therefore, curettage with adjuvant fenolisation was performed in our patient. Clinical and radiological follow-up was required concerning local recurrence.

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a treatment technique in which an electrode is introduced through a cannula into the centre of a tumour. This electrode is activated for a period of time, resulting in the tumour surrounding the electrode being thermally ablated. This technique is already being used in the treatment of liver and lung tumours. RFA is performed relatively infrequently for osteoid osteoma. A hospitalised patient is usually treated for osteoid osteoma by surgical removal of the tumour and its surrounding tissue. Several reports have shown that RFA is not only more effective than the surgical method, but is also safer for the patient. The rehabilitation period after RFA treatment is also significantly shorter. It is expected that RFA will replace surgical excision in the treatment of patients with osteoid osteoma.

The improved prognosis of cancer patients has led to an increased incidence of both bone metastases and (impending) pathological fractures. A solitary bone lesion seen on radiography should never be assumed to be a metastasis. Preoperative biopsy is necessary in patients with a known malignancy and a solitary lytic bone lesion as well as in patients in whom the primary tumor is unknown, in order to prevent an incorrect operation (also known as 'whoops surgery'). If the patient has an (impending) pathological fracture, normal bone healing is not to be expected, not even after stable fixation. Surgical fixation of an impending pathologic fracture is recommended when radiography indicates that a length of more than 3 cm of the cortex of a long bone has been destroyed. If surgical treatment is necessary, it should support the whole long bone in order to enable full weight bearing. When the diagnosis of a bone lesion is uncertain, referral to an experienced treatment centre is recommended.

Objective: To determine, on the basis of the available literature, whether kyphoplasty is a safe technique for the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures that leads to functional improvement in the patient's activities of daily living., Design: Review of the literature. METHOD. Publications on the results of kyphoplasty were retrieved from Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). Studies were included on the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures with kyphoplasty involving more than 15 patients and with a follow-up of at least 6 months. The quality of the studies was assessed using the Newcastle Ottawa quality assessment scale., Results: 12 studies met the inclusion criteria. No randomised controlled trials were retrieved. Severe complications such as pulmonary embolism, spinal stenosis, radiculopathy, and epidural haematoma occurred in 13 of the 737 patients. Leakage of cement occurred in 133 out of 1205 treated vertebrae. In 2 studies in which the functional outcome was evaluated, there was a significant improvement in comparison with the control group after six months., Conclusion: Kyphoplasty for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures has a low complication risk. However, the quality of the retrieved studies was not sufficient to answer the question whether kyphoplasty leads to improved function of the patient.