Intracranial Osteoma: Unusual Etiology of Chronic Daily Headaches

Headache is one of the most frequent complaints in the outpatient department. The types of headaches can be broadly classified into primary and secondary. The primary headaches have benign intrinsic causes and include tension, migraine, and cluster headaches. A detailed history and appropriate physical examination are essential in assessing patients with headaches.  We present the case of a 33-year-old woman who presented to our primary care clinic with three days history of worsening frontal headache. She had been experiencing this headache daily for the last three months; however, the current episode is more severe. The headache episode was not associated with fever, neck stiffness, or loss of consciousness. She often became nauseated with the headache. There was no history of weakness, numbness, or visual disturbances with the headache. There was no family history of migraine headaches. On examination, no focal neurological deficit was noted. The head CT scan showed the presence of two highly hyperdense foci in the frontotemporal region, one of them was related to the dura. Such foci were not causing midline shift or brain edema. The preliminary diagnosis was calcified meningioma. Surgical excision of the lesions was planned. The patient underwent right craniotomy under general anesthesia. The two osseous lesions were observed and successfully resected. Histopathological examination of the lesions was consistent with osteoma. Intracranial osteoma is a very rare benign neoplasm of the mature bone tissue. The typical clinical manifestation of intracranial osteoma is a chronic headache. Head CT shows a well-defined, hyperdense structure. However, this is often mistaken as calcified meningioma.