A painless subungual osteoid osteoma.

BACKGROUND

Osteoid osteoma is a benign bone tumor. Its etiology is not fully understood and the role of trauma is still elusive.

OBJECTIVE

Osteoid osteoma mostly presents with a poorly localized pain that is worst at night and characteristically relieved by salicylates. It usually occurs on the weight-bearing bones of the lower extremities, but toe location is quite rare. Here, we present a case of painless osteoid osteoma located subungually on the dorsum of the great toe.

RESULT: A 29-year-old woman presented with a painless subungual mass on the dorsum of her great toe. Subungual exotosis, osteochondroma, and osteoma were considered in the differential diagnosis and the lesion was totally excised. Histopathologic examination showed characteristic findings of osteoid osteoma.

CONCLUSION

A painless osteoid osteoma is rarely seen and it can be easily misdiagnosed if it occurs in an atypical location such as the subungual area.