Osteoid Osteoma: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Published May 30, 2021

What is osteoid osteoma?

An osteoid osteoma is a small, benign bone tumor that forms in our body’s long bones, such as the femur or thighbone and tibia or shinbone. Moreover, it usually affects the legs, hands, fingers, and spine. 

This is more common in youngsters, particularly teens, and is rarely seen in adults aged 50 and up. Although osteoid osteomas can be painful, they do not spread throughout the body.

Causes 

When some cells divide uncontrollably, they produce an osteoid osteoma, which is a tiny mass of bone and other tissue. As the tumor continues to grow, it then replaces healthy bone tissue with abnormal, hard bone tissue. However, nobody is sure why this happens. It is a relatively common type of bone malignancy. Additionally, this condition is more common in men than in women, and it affects people of all races equally.

Symptoms

A continuous dull, agonizing discomfort characterizes osteoid osteomas. The pain is not exacerbated by activity and is frequently eased by Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), like aspirin. You can also have limping, muscle atrophy, swelling, and have increased or decreased bone growth. 

Spinal osteoid osteoma can cause muscle spasms that result in painful scoliosis or spine bending and twisting. This is particularly common in lumbar osteoid osteomas. Moreover, scoliosis induced by muscle spasms is often excruciatingly painful.

Numerous illnesses are mistaken for osteoid osteoma and vice versa, which leads to misdiagnosis. As a result, it is critical to comprehend this illness and its imaging results in order to improve diagnostic accuracy, permit early treatment, and avoid poor prognosis.

Tests and Diagnosis

X-ray

X-rays provide good images of dense materials and can aid in the diagnosis of osteoid osteoma. Because pain is typically present before an osteoid osteoma is evident on X-ray, detecting these tumors can take some time.

CT (Computed Tomography) scan

A CT scan provides a cross-sectional image of your bone and can help you determine the extent of the disease. Furthermore, CT scans can assist in determining the extent of the tumor.

MR (Magnetic Resonance) scan

The MR Scan captures organs and tissues, such as the brain and spinal cord using magnets, radio waves, and computer technologies. Although MR scans can be used to rule out alternative illnesses, they are ineffective in diagnosing osteoid osteoma.

Biopsy

To confirm the diagnosis of osteoid osteoma, a sample may be required. A biopsy involves taking a tissue sample from the tumor and examining it under a microscope. Your doctor may administer a local anesthetic to numb the region before taking a sample with a needle. In addition, this procedure is excellent in confirming the diagnosis of osteoid osteoma.

Treatments

Nonsurgical Treatment

Most osteoid osteomas will go away on their own after a few years. Regular usage of over-the-counter Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen relieves pain for some people. On the other hand, many people receive long-term comfort with this sort of treatment, which avoids the limitations and potential hazards of surgery.

Surgical Treatment

Many patients, however, are unable to tolerate NSAIDs for so long and do not wish to wait for the tumor to clear on its own. In many circumstances, removing the tumor surgically relieves the pain completely. Additionally, the tumor’s recurrence rate after surgery is minimal.