Osteoid-osteoma of the sacrum - a rare cause of back pain in children

Osteoid-osteoma should be included in the differential diagnosis of any you ng patient with pain in the back. The tumor is the most common cause of pai nful scoliosis in adolescents. In spite of typical symptoms the diagnosis i s often delayed. The osteoid-osteoma is seldom located in the sacrum and it can be difficult to diagnose the lesion by plain radiography there. At bes t, the radiographs may show an area of perifocal sclerosis. Scintigraphy an d computed tomography can establish the diagnosis. Therapeutic procedures a re medical treatment, operative exzision or percutaneous radiofrequency coa gulation. We report the case of a thirteen year old boy who suffered from a n osteoid-osteoma in the sacrum.