Chondroblastoma located in the femoral head is one of the locations accounting for frequent recurrence. One of the reasons
for this is the difficulty in obtaining appropriate surgical access to it for adequate removal of tumors. The authors present
and illustrate a trapdoor procedure for the surgical treatment of chodroblastoma in the epiphysis of the femoral head. The
surgical approach was made over the great trochanter and a trochanteric osteotomy was performed. The capsulotomy was made
anteriorly and posteriorly, and the hip was dislocated anteriorly. Using a scalpel and an osteotome, the edges of a trapdoor
segment were sharply dissected and the rectangular segment was lifted back to reveal an underlying subchondral tumor. The
tumor tissue was thoroughly curetted and autologous cancellous bone was grafted. The trapdoor was replaced without any additional
fixation, and the femoral head was reduced. The patient recovered good hip function without pain, and showed no recurrence
of chondroblastoma at 5 years after surgery. The trapdoor procedure enabled sufficient access to complete curettage and autologous
cancellous bone grafting for the chondroblastoma of the femoral head. This procedure proved to be a useful surgical approach
for the treatment of chodroblastoma in the epiphysis of the femoral head in this case.
Keywords Autogenous bone graft - Trapdoor procedure - Chondroblastoma - Femoral head