Painless osteoid osteoma of the fingers--report of three cases.

Two cases of proven osteoid osteoma and one case of probable osteoid osteoma of the fingers are reported. All three cases lacked the cardinal feature of pain typical of the lesion. Swelling and enlargement of the digit were the presenting symptoms. The explanation for the lack of pain in these cases is thought to be an absence, or diminished amount, of nerve tissue within the nidus, which occurs in a growing phalanx, preventing rigid bony encapsulation.