Inability to Ambulate in a Pediatric Patient Secondary to an Aneurysmal Bone Cyst With Associated Pathological Fracture

Bone pain in pediatric patients is exceedingly common, with etiologies ranging from benign lesions such as fibrous dysplasia and enchondromas to potentially devastating, life-threatening malignancies such as Ewing's sarcoma or osteosarcoma. Given the low yield of physical examination and routine laboratory workup, pediatric patients with bone pain or an inability to ambulate warrant further workup. The initial workup should consist of imaging with radiography. A large majority of patients will have a resolution of symptoms without intervention and will have normal imaging. When radiographic imaging has suspicious findings, expert consultation is warranted because differentiating between benign and malignant processes on imaging can be challenging. Here we present a case of a six-year-old male with progressive worsening leg pain who was found to have a rare aneurysmal bone cyst with an associated pathologic fracture requiring open reduction and internal fixation.