Nonbacterial osteitis of the clavicle: longitudinal imaging series from initial diagnosis to clinical improvement

Case Rep Rheumatol. 2015:2015:182731. doi: 10.1155/2015/182731. Epub 2015 Jan 27.

Abstract

Nonbacterial osteitis is a rare autoinflammatory disease. Often it is mistaken for a tumor or osteomyelitis. We present a case of a twelve-year-old girl referred to our hospital because of a lesion of the right clavicle. The differential diagnoses were sarcoma, osteitis, and Langerhans cell histiocytosis. After biopsy the diagnosis nonbacterial osteitis (NBO) was established. Treatment of choice is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. This case report gives a complete follow-up of the disease, showing the pitfalls of the diagnosis.