Chronic Back Pain Diagnosed as Giant Osteoid Osteoma of the Thoracic Vertebra: A Case Report

Diagnosing an osteoid osteoma as a benign tumor can be challenging owing to its different presentation patterns, ambiguous radiological findings and unusual sites of involvement. The present case report involves a 30-year-old female patient with a large osteoid osteoma of the thoracic vertebrae as an uncommon site of its presentation.

The patient presented with a one-year history of progressive right-sided upper back and interscapular pains. She was identified as a candidate for surgery using the whole body bone scan and a multiple detector computed tomography (MDCT) scan. A large 25-mm osteoid osteoma of the lamina of the third thoracic vertebra (T3) was also diagnosed through histopathology.

As a potential cause of persistent back pain in young adults, an osteoid osteoma may be easily missed by routine radiographs. The CT scan is an effective tool in the investigation of the size and location of this tumor. Surgical excision can also be used for treating spinal lesions.