2025 Volume 4 Issue 3 Pages 251-254
Rib osteomyelitis in children is rare. Here, we report a case of rib osteomyelitis in an 11-year-old girl who presented with chest pain as the only complaint. Based on physical examination and blood tests, pleurisy was suspected as the initial diagnosis, but contrast-enhanced computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging confirmed the diagnosis of right rib osteomyelitis. The patient was treated with antibiotics and made a full recovery. Clinical manifestations of acute osteomyelitis include fever and localized pain; however, only 36% of patients with rib osteomyelitis have fever. Pediatricians need to consider rib osteomyelitis in the differential diagnosis of chest pain in children, even in the absence of fever.
