Glycobiology and the growth plate: current concepts in multiple hereditary exostoses.

Abstract

Multiple hereditary exostoses, also termed as multiple osteochondromas, is a heritable disorder of connective tissue with primarily orthopaedic clinical manifestations. Understanding of its biological underpinnings has been advanced on a variety of fronts in recent years. The multifaceted literature regarding osteochondromagenesis and the major clinical challenges in patients with multiple osteochondromas were reviewed. Consideration of recent advances in molecular biology, biochemistry, and animal modeling of osteochondroma pathogenesis yields a unified model. Mechanistic details and therapeutic targets have yet to be elucidated, but the general biology of osteochondroma formation is increasingly clear, as well as its implications in the orthopaedic clinical setting.