Osteoid osteoma of the hand and foot in children successfully treated with radiofrequency neurotomy probes

Osteoid osteoma is a common benign tumor that is typically found in young adults and children, usually in the long bones of the lower extremity. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) under computed tomography guidance is the standard of care for symptomatic osteoid osteomas. However, patients with osteoid osteoma of the hand or foot are often treated with open surgery because of the risk of injury to vascular and neural structures from RFA. This risk is more pronounced in pediatric patients because of the small lesion size and proximity of lesions to important neurovascular structures. Here, we present 2 pediatric patients, one with an osteoid osteoma in the hand and the other with an osteoid osteoma in the foot. In both patients, a 22-gauge, 2.5-mm active tip ablation probe was used. The smaller ablation volume achieved with this probe protected neighboring neurovascular structures while effectively ablating the osteoid osteoma nidus. Based on our success in these cases, we recommend the application of this method for cases in which neurovascular proximity to the osteoid osteoma lesion makes ablation challenging.