Condensing osteitis of the clavicle: case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Osteitis condensans of the clavicle is a benign, often painful disorder of unknown etiology manifested by bony sclerosis of the clavicular head with an uninvolved sternoclavicular joint. The case presented demonstrates the characteristic scintigraphic findings of osteitis condensans of the clavicle. A review of the published pathologically proven cases reveals this disorder to have distinctive clinical and radiological features that allow differentiation from infection, neoplasia, and arthritides in most instances. The frequent observation, as in this case, of devitalized bone and marrow fibrosis with remodeling of cancellous bone suggests that osteonecrosis may play an important role in the pathogenesis of this disorder.