Diagnostic efficacy of thin slice CT in osteoid osteoma of the thoracic spine: report of two cases.

We present a 24-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman who complained of persistent back pain with osteoid osteoma of the thoracic spine. Computed tomography (CT) revealed a round sclerotic lesion in the posterior element of the thoracic spine, although their plain radiographs showed no abnormalities except a slight scoliosis. The patients underwent total excision of the tumor via a posterior approach. They are currently asymptomatic with no recurrence of the lesion and have returned to full activity. The thin slice CT is one of the most important diagnostic tools for osteoid osteoma of the spine.