Bilateral diaphyseal bone cysts of the tibia mimicking shin splints in a young professional athlete--a case report and depiction of a less-invasive surgical technique

BACKGROUND
Medial tibial stress syndrome is one of the most common causes of exertional leg pain in runners whereas musculoskeletal tumors and tumor-like lesions are rare encounters in orthopedic sports medicine practice. Unicameral (simple) bone cyst is a well-known tumor-like lesions of the bone typically affecting children and adolescents. Bilateral occurrence is very rare though and has never been reported before in both tibiae. Failing to accurately diagnose a tumorous lesion can entail far-reaching consequences for both patients and physicians.

CASE PRESENTATION
We report the case of large bilateral unicameral bone cysts of the diaphyseal tibiae mimicking medial tibial stress syndrome in a 17-year old professional athlete. This is the first report of symmetric tibial unicameral bone cysts in the literature. The patient complained about persisting shin splint-like symptoms over 5 months despite comprehensive conservative treatment before MRI revealed extensive osteolytic bone lesions in both diaphyseal tibiae. The patient-tailored, less-invasive surgical procedure, allowing the patient to return to his competitive sports level symptom-free 3 months after surgery and to eventually qualify for this years Biathlon Junior World Championships, is outlined briefly. Pathogenesis and various treatment options for this entity will be discussed.