Osteoid osteoma: CT-guided radio-frequency ablation

Purpose. This work aimed to evaluate the feasibility, safety and efficacy of computed Tomography (CT)-guided radio-frequency (RF) treatment for the in situ treatment of osteoid osteoma. Materials and methods. Since March 1997, 17 patients (14 males, 3 females) with 18 osteoid osteomas underwent CT-guided radio-frequency thermal ablation. Lesions were located in the femur (n=13), tibia (n=3), radius (n=1) and ulna (n=1). All patients had presumptive diagnosis of osteoid osteoma on the basis of clinical and radiographic findings. The duration of pain before treatment ranged between 6 and 18 months (mean: 9 months). Of the 18 procedures, 15 were performed percutaneously while 3 others were performed after surgical exposure of the bone. No surgical treatments were performed before RF ablation. A 17-gauge electrode needle with 2-cm exposed tip was introduced into the nidus through an 11-gauge biopsy set. Results. All the procedures were technically successful. Of 17 patients, 14 were completely free of pain within 2 days post-treatment. In two patients, complete relief from pain was achieved after a second RF ablation. In another case, no clinical response was observed; the patient refused to repeat treatment and underwent surgery. Two cases had superficially dermal burns with skin and soft tissue necrosis.