Osteoid osteoma of the upper extremity: a report of 35 cases

The upper extremity bones are infrequent sites for osteoid osteoma. Diagnosis of this tumor could be difficult and challenging. Thirty five patients with histologically confirmed osteoid osteoma of the upper extremity seen from 1992 to 2011 were studied retrospectively. The patients'' age at presentation averaged 23.4 years. Male to female ratio was 4 and right to left side ratio was 4, too. Twenty-five of the lesions were located in the wrist and hand, six around elbow, three around shoulder joint and one in radius diaphysis. Pain was present in all cases. Of 27 patients who took nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) for pain, 20 obtained at least partial relief. Mass or swelling was more com-monly noted in lesions of the hand and wrist as compared to the arm and forearm. Osteoid osteoma, relatively rare lesions in the upper extremity, could be a persistent source of hand, wrist, elbow or shoulder pain. Patients under age 40 who have otherwise unexplained pain should be eval-uated in this regard.