Introduction. Ascertaining the etiology of hip pain in young patients can be challenging. Osteoid osteoma about the hip has only been described in case reports and small case series in this sub-population. This study assessed the clinical course, radiologic findings, and treatment approaches in a large series of pediatric osteoid osteoma cases about the hip. Potential diagnostic and treatment pitfalls were identified. Methods. A single-center tertiary care departmental database was queried for all cases of osteoid osteoma seen between Jan 1, 2003 and December 31, 2015. Medical records were reviewed to identify those with lesions identified within or around the hip joint. Clinical, demographic, and radiologic data were analyzed. Results. Fifty children and adolescents (56% female, mean age 12.4 years, range 3–19 years) were identified with osteoid osteoma about the hip. The femoral neck was the most common lesion location (38%), and pain in the hip was the most common presenting chief complaint (60%). Night pain (90%) and symptom relief with NSAIDs (88%) were extremely common, though not universally reported. Sclerosis and/or cortical thickening was visible in 58% of radiographs, though a lucent nidus was visible in only 42%. Thirty patients (60%) underwent MRI, 27 of which were available for review, with focal peri-lesional edema as a universal finding. Amongst intracapsular lesions (n=17, 63%), common findings included medial retinacular thickening (33%), synovitis (45%) and effusion (76%). In the 43 patients (48%) who underwent CT, a diagnostic lucent nidus was a universal finding. Initial alternative diagnoses were recorded in 46% of cases, including, in order of decreasing frequency, femoro-acetabular impingement, minor trauma, hip synovitis, ‘growing pain’, stress fracture, and infection. Abnormal hip range of motion, positive impingement signs, and global synovitis on MRI scan were found to be associated with alternative diagnosis. On multivariate regression analysis, only abnormal hip ROM was independently predictive of alternative diagnosis. Delay in diagnosis of >6 months was seen in 43% of patients. Three patients underwent preceding operative procedures for other hip diagnoses, but had persistent hip pain until the osteoid osteoma was treated. Forty-one patients (82%) ultimately underwent radiofrequency ablation (RFA), and 1 open osteoid osteoma resection was performed. Of those who underwent RFA, 93% achieved complete symptom resolution, with 2 of 3 patients without symptom resolution undergoing revision RFA procedure, 1 of which led to symptom resolution. Complications of treatment included 1 case of deep infection along an RFA track, requiring operative debridement, 1 case of transient weakness and paresthesias in the involved extremity, and 1 case of fracture at the RFA site, requiring ORIF. Conclusions. Alternative andelayed diagnoses are common in osteoid osteoma about the hip, with femoro-acetabular impingement representing the most common alternative initial diagnosis in our series. While varying presenting complaints and nonspecific MRI findings may contribute to diagnostic uncertainty, night pain was present in the vast majority of cases and CT scans provided definitive diagnosis in all patients who received them. As increasing numbers of young, active patients are being evaluated for various causes of hip pain, such as femoro-acetabular impingement, osteoid osteoma should not be overlooked in the differential diagnosis of pain about the hip
