musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders
Benign Bone Tumors and Cysts
Osteoma
Osteomas are areas of uniformly dense bone that appear benign. They are most common in the skull and area around the paranasal bones and rarely occur in the axial skeleton or pelvis. Small osteomas are called bone islands. These are not painful and often noted incidentally as bone densities with smooth margins on x-rays. Diagnosis is based on radiographic appearance. On nuclear bone scan, the radiographic dense area may show little or no increased uptake. If the diagnosis is questionable, MRI imaging can help. Osteomas do not require biopsy and can be followed periodically with plain films. 