How to Diagnose Chondroma

A chondroma is a benign bone tumor with a lobular growth pattern. It usually forms mature cartilage in the small bones of the hands and feet. Chondromas also may form on long bones such as the femur humerus and ribs, and are classified according to their location. Enchondromas are within the bone, periosteal chondromas are on the surface of the bone and other chondromas form in soft tissue.

Instructions

• 1

  Discover a palpable bony nodule in the case of an Enchondroma. They are frequently discovered incidentally because they are usually asymptomatic but pain and soft tissue swelling may occur on rare occasions. Periosteal chondromas, on the other hand, are painful cartilaginous lesions.

• 2

  Find soft tissue chondromas in tissue adjacent to tendons in the hands and feet. They are usually solitary and consist entirely of mature hyaline cartilage.

• 3

  Examine the lesion. Enchondromas are well circumscribed and have the bluish-gray color of typical cartilage. Periosteal chondromas produce a broad based cartilaginous mass that may extend into but not actually infiltrate soft tissue.

• 4

  Examine the chondroma microscopically. Enchondromas are hypocellular with most double-nucleated cells exhibiting an atypical cytology, although the cellularity may vary. The matrix does not show myxoid change but ossification is common. Periosteal chondromas are a mass of mature cartilage that are more active and may be confused with a chondrosarcoma.

• 5

  Look at a soft-tissue chondroma under a microscope. The appearance can be varied but they may show focal fibrosis, myxoid change and ossification. The matrix may become extensively mineralized in some cases causing it to resemble tumoral calcinosis.