Osteoid-osteoma of the sacrum - a rare cause of back pain in children

Osteoid-osteoma should be included in the differential diagnosis of any young patient with pain in the back. The tumor is the most common cause of painful scoliosis in adolescents. In spite of typical symptoms the diagnosis is often delayed. The osteoid-osteoma is seldom located in the sacrum and it can be difficult to diagnose the lesion by plain radiography there. At best, the radiographs may show an area of perifocal sclerosis. Scintigraphy and computed tomography can establish the diagnosis. Therapeutic procedures are medical treatment, operative exzision or percutaneous radiofrequency coagulation. We report the case of a thirteen year old boy who suffered from an osteoid-osteoma in the sacrum.