Musculoskeletal misdiagnoses in pediatric patients with spinal tumors.

Objective: Childhood spinal tumors often present with musculoskeletal symptoms, potentially causing a misdiagnosis and delays in diagnosis and treatment. This study aims to identify, characterize, and compare children with spinal tumors who had prior musculoskeletal misdiagnoses to those without, analyzing clinical presentation, diagnostic interval, and outcome.

Study Design: This retrospective cohort study evaluated all children aged 0-14 years diagnosed with a spinal tumor in Denmark from 1996 to 2018.