Surgical Management of Medically Refractory Tietze Syndrome

Tietze syndrome is a rare and benign cause of chest pain that may be confused with life-threatening conditions. Characteristic findings are painful, localized inflammation of the costosternal, sternoclavicular, or costochondral joints typically of the second and third ribs. We present a patient with severe, medically refractory symptoms consistent with Tietze syndrome. Although surgical management is not the typical treatment course, symptomatic control was eventually achieved with complete resection of the involved cartilage and adjacent rib. We propose surgical management in patients with debilitating cases of Tietze syndrome that are resistant to conservative therapies.