van Neck-Odelberg Disease: A 3.5-Year Follow-Up Case Report and Systematic Review

Abstract

V an Neck-Odelberg disease (VND) is a benign skeletal overgrowth of the ischiopubic synchondrosis (IPS) in prepubescent patients. There is a paucity of long-term follow-up data and reviews on management decision-making. We report on a 15-year-old female, with a history of sickle-cell disease (HbSS), presenting with unilateral groin pain. Patient's physical examination, radiographs, and a literature-review determined a diagnosis of VND. Conservative treatment was issued. Clinical symptoms resolved at three months, followed by complete lesion resolution at three years. Additionally, a search of Medline (PubMed), EMBASE, and OVID databases was performed. Reports including VND/IPS diagnosis, treatment, or follow-up decisions were identified. Systematic-review found 17 relevant articles, reporting on 29 patients. Patients presented with groin (51.7%) or buttock (20.7%) pain, and were diagnosed using X-ray (n=23) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (n=17). Twenty-five patients were treated conservatively, with two (8.0%) reports of surgical intervention. Average follow-up was 6.25 months. Our case report and systematic-review support conservative treatment for VND.