PERCUTANEOUS COMPUTED-TOMOGRAPHY-GUIDED THERMOCOAGULATION FOR OSTEOIDOSTEOMAS

Current treatment for osteoid osteomas is usually surgical excision of the nidus. We treated 18 patients with osteoid osteoma by percutaneou s thermocoagulation of the nidus under computed-tomography guidance. T he procedure was technically successful in all cases and there were no complications. Patients were discharged on the following morning and resumed normal activities immediately. Air patients but one remained p ain free during follow-up (range 3-15 months). A second thermocoagulat ion treatment relieved the recurrent symptoms in this patient. Percuta neous thermocoagulation appears to be effective for osteoid osteomas, and is a minimally invasive alternative to surgical resection.