Staphylococcal rib osteomyelitis in a pediatric patient.

Osteomyelitis in children commonly occurs in the long bones such as the femur, tibia, and humerus. It is rarely found in the ribs, occurring in less than 1% of children with osteomyelitis. Thirteen cases of rib osteomyelitis were reported in the literature, of which, 11 were caused by Staphylococcus aureus. Pediatric osteomyelitis often masquerades as skeletal neoplasia, as illustrated in the following case presentation. Here, the authors describe a case of pediatric staphylococcal rib osteomyelitis, review the published literature on similar cases, and describe its medical and surgical treatment.