Intraarticular osteoid osteoma of the elbow – a challenging case

Resumo

Osteoid osteoma is a common bone tumor, usually found in young patients. Intraarticular locations are rare, occurring in approximately 13% of cases. The most commonly involved joint is the hip, while the elbow is less commonly affected.

Intraarticular osteoid osteoma may be associated with atypical clinical features and imaging findings often differ from the classical hallmarks of extraarticular lesions.

Patients with osteoid osteoma of the elbow frequently present pain, chronic synovitis, joint effusion and limitation in range of motion, simulating inflammatory arthropathy. Additionally, in intraarticular lesions, reactive cortical thickening or sclerosis is minimal or absent giving a subtle radiographic appearance that often delays the diagnosis. Careful search for history data and extensive imaging procedures with computed tomography, bone scintigraphy and magnetic resonance can lead to the correct diagnosis.

The case of a young male with an osteoid osteoma of the elbow is presented.