Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of osteoid osteoma

Osteoid osteoma is a benign bone tumor. Patients usually require surgical t reatment for reliable pain relief. Difficulties with intraoperative localiz ation of the tumor and anatomic locations that carry a high morbidity with en bloc resection complicate open surgery, Various methods have been develo ped to lessen the invasiveness of surgery including computed tomography-gui ded percutaneous radiofrequency thermal ablation, Eleven patients in three different centers were evaluated and diagnosed with osteoid osteoma based o n typical histories, physical examinations, and imaging studies. All patien ts were treated with computed tomography-guided percutaneous radiofrequency thermal ablation after medical treatment failed. Excellent pain relief was reported in 10 patients. One patient suffered recurrence of a femoral neck lesion despite an initial 7-month period without pain. Patients were given a questionnaire to quantify the effectiveness of percutaneous radiofrequen cy ablation in terms of pain relief and return to function. The current stu dy shows that percutaneous radiofrequency thermal ablation provides reliabl e, excellent pain relief and early return to function with minimal morbidit y as compared with traditional open techniques. The authors suggest that th is technique be used for all patients with extraspinal osteoid osteomas tha t are not immediately adjacent to neurovascular structures.