I had the opportunity to meet Elizabeth, a fifteen-year-old girl from Wisconsin, after she had endured six months of bone-throbbing pain in her leg. She had taken large amounts of over-the-counter pain medicines for temporary relief.

Dr. Johnson shares a high five with Elizabeth.

The amount of medicine put her at risk of developing significant side effects like bleeding. There was nothing else that gave her relief from this nagging and worsening pain. Since the pain did not get better, there was concern for a fracture. Elizabeth had X-ray and CT scans performed, which showed classic imaging findings of osteoid osteoma, a painful bone tumor.

The Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin Imaging program is fortunate to have some of the best 3-D guidance technology and some of the pediatric interventional radiologists with the most experience with this procedure in the country. We treat both painful benign and malignant tumors. We are actively involved in research to constantly refine, improve and expand what we can offer the children we serve. And we work with multidisciplinary teams to make sure the best treatment and best possible outcome is offered to each child.

Using this image-guided outpatient procedure meant Elizabeth avoided traditional, more invasive surgery, had a much shorter recovery, did not need crutches, had significantly accelerated healing, and did not need to stay in the hospital overnight. In addition, hospital bed-space was freed up to meet the needs and overall costs were minimized.

Given the advantages our minimally invasive approach can provide to children, it is our honor to serve an ever-increasing number of patients like Elizabeth.

To learn more about interventional radiology, watch this video.

~ Craig Johnson, DO, program director, Interventional Radiology, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, has presented research on this procedure nationally and is a member of the musculoskeletal oncology multidisciplinary team.