Osteoid osteoma of the distal humerus mimicking tennis elbow.

Osteoid osteoma is an uncommon bony neoplasm which rarely occurs in the elbow region. We present a case in a sixteen year old male whose symptoms were suggestive of lateral epicondylitis, or tennis elbow, and he had been treated as such for a period of eighteen months. CT scan and isotope bone scan showed typical features of osteoid osteoma and his symptoms resolved rapidly following excision of the lesion. Tennis elbow is rare in the adolescent age group, and other diagnoses should be excluded in cases where the clinical findings are suggestive of this condition.