Decreasing length of hospital stay in treatment of osteoid osteoma

Ninety-eight operative procedures were performed for treatment of osteoid o steoma since 1978 at the authors' institution. During these years there was a progressive decrease in the length of hospital stay, decreasing from a m ean of 6.8 days between 1978 and 1980 to 2.6 days between 1994 and 1996. Fa ctors that influenced the length of stay after a surgical procedure include patient age, lesion location, choice of procedure, and surgeon. However, t he decline in length of stay with time is independent of these factors, and antedates the era of managed care. Increased reliance on more conservative surgical procedures has markedly diminished the length of hospital stay re quired in the care of these patients.