A Reminder for Chronic Ankle Pain: Case Report of Talar Osteoid Osteoma with Late Diagnosis

BACKGROUND: Talus osteoid osteomas are often overlooked. This pathology, which can cause chronic ankle pain, should be kept in mind when evaluating differential diagnoses. CASE REPORT: A 21-year-old female applied to our clinic with chronic ankle pain diagnosed as talus OCD. The patient’s pain was refractory to non-operative treatments. The detection of talar osteoid osteoma is delayed due to atypical radiologic findings and coexistent osteochondral lesion of talus. The patient is treated with ankle arthroscopy with excellent results. CONCLUSION: Chronic ankle pain causes severe functional limitations. Dealing with such cases especially in the young population, one should consider that atypical radiologic signs could have further meaning. When radiology fails to describe the lesion, ankle arthroscopy could be a good option, both for diagnosis and treatment.