Safe and Effective Treatment Choice for Osteoid Osteoma: Computed Tomography-guided Percutaneous Radiofrequency Ablation

Introduction Osteoid osteoma (OO) is a painful, benign, bone-forming tumor characterized by a small central nidus surrounded by sclerotic tissue. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical outcome after computed tomography (CT)-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in patients with OO performed from January 2012 to June 2018 and to confirm the safety and efficacy of CT-guided RFA. Methods Between January 2012 and June 2018, a total of 63 patients were treated with CT-guided RFA. Pre- and post-treatment pain, further treatment after the RFA procedure, observed complications, and satisfaction with the treatment were recorded for an assessment of clinical effects in all patients. The patients were evaluated with the visual analog scale (VAS) pre-procedure and at three months post-procedure. Results Of the patients, 39 were males and 24 were females with a mean age of 21 ± 9.7 (range, 9 to 41) years. The mean follow-up was 16 ± 2.1 (range, 12 to 19) months. The mean duration of the procedure was 34 ± 11.4 (range, 22 to 47) min. All of the patients were diagnosed with OO pathologically. A statistically significant difference was found between the pre-procedural and post-procedural VAS scores (p<0.001). Complications were observed in six patients including one peroneal nerve lesion, three minor skin burns, and two minor skin infections. Conclusion This study shows that CT-guided RFA is a safe and effective treatment for OO. It is thought that RFA could be the primary treatment choice for most OO with typical symptoms and radiological findings.