Osteoid osteoma
What is it?
Osteoid osteoma is a benign bone tumor that arises from osteoblasts. Approximately 10% of tumors occur in the spine, mostly in the posterior elements of the lumbar vertebrae. Osteoid osteoma commonly occurs in the second decade of life, and is more common in boys than in girls; spine affection is one of the common causes of painful scoliosis in the that age group.
Symptoms
Patients with osteoid osteomas generally complain of pain that increases in severity during the night. This pain can be relieved by administration of non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs. Some affected patients may present with painful scoliosis.
Diagnosis
Osteoid osteoma tumors can be detected by CT scans and bone scans; CT is more commonly used. However, the definitive diagnosis must be made by histopathological examination.
Treatment
Treatment varies based on the condition of the affected patient. Some patients can be treated successfully by a conservative approach. However, most patients cannot tolerate long-term conservative treatment. If medication therapy fails or if the lesion increases in size, patients are selected for surgery with the aim of en bloc resection of the tumor. After resection of an osteoid osteoma, pain and scoliosis are relieved. Minimally invasive surgeries, such as those involving video endoscopy, microscopy, and imaging-guided or navigation-guided techniques also achieve satisfactory outcomes.