Background: The most important symptom in patients with osteoid osteoma and osteoblastoma
is a resistant localized neck pain and stiffness in the spine.
Objective: To evaluate and analyze 6 cases of osteoid osteoma and osteoblastoma of the cervical
spine that were surgically treated over a 7-year period and to emphasize the unusual persistent
neck pain associated with osteoid osteoma and osteoblastoma of the cervical spine.
Study Design: Retrospective study.
Methods: Six patients, 3 male and 3 female, with a mean age of 21 years (range 16-31) diagnosed
with osteoid osteoma or osteoblastoma during 2003 to 2009 were analyzed retrospectively. The
preoperative neurological and clinical symptoms, neck pain duration, preoperative deformity,
location of lesion, radiological findings, surgical technique and clinical follow-up outcomes of
each patient were evaluated.
Results: The average follow-up duration was 40.5 months (range, 19 to 83 months). Three
patients had osteoid osteoma (2 female and one male), and 3 patients had osteoblastoma
(one female and 2 male). Two male patients had recurrent osteoblastoma. The locations of the
lesions were as follows: C7 (2 patients), C3 (one patient), C2 (one patient), C3-C4 (one patient)
and C5-C6 (one patient). The most common symptom was local neck pain in the region of the
tumor. Among all patients, only one patient, who had osteoblastoma, had neurological deficits
(right C5-C6 root symptoms). The other patients had no neurological deficits. All patients were
treated with surgical resection using microsurgery. Two patients underwent only tumor resection,
one patient underwent tumor resection and fusion, and the other 3 patients underwent tumor
resection, fusion and spinal instrumentation. No perioperative complications developed in any of
our patients. There was no tumor recurrence during the follow-up period.
Limitations: A retrospective study with 6 analyses of cases.
Conclusion: Surgical treatment of osteoid osteoma and osteoblastoma of the spine has been
standardized. The most common symptom of osteoid osteoma and osteoblastoma of the cervical
spine is local persistent neck pain in the region of the tumor. This symptom can be significant in
the diagnosis of these tumors.
Key words: neck pain, osteoid osteoma, osteoblastoma, bone tumors, cervical spine
Osteoid osteoma of the cervical spine depicted as dumbbell tumor by MRI
