"The Impact of Ablation Site Complications on Outcomes in Radiofrequency Ablation for Osteoid Osteoma: A Prospective Cohort Study"

Background: Osteoid osteoma is a benign bone-forming neoplasm. Radiofrequency ablation is a reliable treatment. Purpose: This work evaluates RFA ablation site complications and their impact on osteoid osteoma outcomes. Methods: 30 osteoid osteoma patients were involved in the study, aged 4 to 37 years. The study included patients who were diagnosed radiologically, painful bone lesion, night pain relieved by NSAIDs, radiolucent nidus with surrounding sclerosis is depicted in CT images. The ablation site complications were assessed for their impact on the outcomes.Results: Most tumors were cortical (86.7%), mainly located in the diaphysis (70%), the femur being the most affected bone (46.7%). Patients' ages ranged from 4 to 37 years, an average of 17 years. Patients had pre-procedure pain scores between 5 and 9, mean of 7 ± 1.07, were on NSAIDs. 47% of patients experienced swelling. Patients reported significant reduction in pain immediately post-procedure, mean score of 8.6, compared to one week (mean 1.3) and six months (mean 0.9) post-procedure (P < 0.001).No reported cases of anesthesia-related complications, skin burns, fat necrosis, soft tissue infections, vasomotor instability, tendinitis or hematomas at RFA site.Conclusion:Radiofrequency ablation is reliable minimally invasive procedure for osteoid osteoma, with low ablation site complication rate and consistently positive results.