[Osteoid osteomas of the fingers: an atypical localization? Two case reports and a review of the literature].

Osteoid osteomas are painful bone tumors that usually occur in childhood or adolescence. Despite the small size of the bony lesions osteoid osteomas can cause persistent pain. Pathogenesis has not been completely understood. Remission usually occurs within several months to years. Therefore surgical therapy is not indicated in all cases. Nevertheless, as a result of reduced quality of life due to pain, sufficient analgesic/antiinflammatory therapy needs to be provided. We report on two male patients, aged 10 and 14 years, who presented with arthritis of the finger joints. As a result of both patients' histories, and following radiographic imaging and magnetic resonance imaging, a diagnosis of osteoid osteoma was made. Remission could be achieved in both patients following treatment with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).In addition to the typical sites at the long bones of the lower extremity, osteoid osteomas can also localize to other sites such as fingers. In the case of definitive diagnosis and under close follow-up, medical treatment with NSAIDs is an alternative to surgical strategies. The operative risk should be weighed against the risk of long-term treatment with NSAIDs.