Results of surgical treatment of osteoid osteoma of the spine.

Ten percent of all osteoid osteomas are located in the spine; they represent the most common cause of painful scoliosis in adolescents. The recommended treatment is surgical excision of the nidus. Nine patients with osteoid osteoma of the spine underwent surgical treatment between 1996 and 2002. Complete nidus removal was performed in all patients and the diagnosis was made by frozen sections intraoperatively. The follow-up period was 27 months. Scoliosis was present in five of the cases (55.5%). All deformities improved during the postoperative follow-up period. All nine patients with the diagnosis of osteoid osteoma who had operations had histological confirmation. All patients had immediate and complete relief of pain after surgery. There were no complications and no local recurrences after a follow-up of two years. In the authors' opinion, removal of the nidus by open surgical technique remains a valid method of treatment for osteoid osteoma of the spine.