Bone loss in Gorham's disease: A case study.

In this study, a rare disease with characteristics of spontaneous osteolysis of the bone is reported. The patient was an eight-year-old male, who was admitted with shortness of breath. The absence of the right clavicle was identified by radiography. However, the change to the right clavicle was not malignant, as indicated by bone scanography. The biopsy of the right cervical rib revealed a number of vascular fibrous tissues and vessels distending and shunting together; however, no cell proliferation was observed. In addition, no acid-fast bacillia or malignant cells were detected in the sample of pleural effusion from the patient. Low hemoglobin (93 g/l) and a slight elevation of alkaline phosphatase levels (133 U/l) were observed; however, the other laboratory examination results were normal. The follow-up investigation and radiotherapy results indicated that the osteolysis of the skull and the other portion of bone had not worsened. Although it has been reported that >15% of patients succumb to this disease, the patient reported in the current study was in a relatively stable condition.