Thoracic osteotomy for Gorham-Stout disease of the spine: a case report and literature review

A new therapeutic approach in Gorham-Stout disease: a case report

Background

Gorham-Stout disease is a rare condition of unknown prevalence and unknown exact cause. Its pathogenesis is based on enhanced osteoclastic activity leading to bone resorption and bone replacement by distended lymphatic vessels. Because of its rarity and a various range of symptoms the disease may give, diagnosis is challenging and a strong index of suspicion is required. Although it is a benign condition, the prognosis may be unpredictable. The treatment options suggested so far are limited, and every case should be provided with the best individual approach. Herein, we present a case report of Gorham-Stout disease managed with a regular lump drainage with a good response and control of the patient symptoms over a period of 20 years.

Case report

A 23-year-old male was admitted to the Head and Neck Cancer Clinic with a 6-month history of a left-sided neck lump. Other symptoms reported were neck pain and general weakness. The basic laboratory tests were within normal limits. On physical examination, a large round lump on the left side of a patient's neck and left armpit were noticed. They were about several centimeters in diameter, soft on palpation, but firmly attached to the underlying tissue. CT scan revealed large lymphatic left-sided masses of the neck and axillary fossa and multiple osteolytic lesions in the patient's vertebrae. Together with the biopsy findings and imaging studies, a diagnosis of Gorham-Stout Syndrome was made. The patient was then scheduled for a regular cystic drainage with good control of a disease for over a period of 20 years.

Conclusion

Gorham-Stout disease is a rare challenging condition, and the available treatment options remain sparse. Although surgical approach is effective, it is not always possible. In addition, the risk of radiotherapy-induced malignancy shows that this therapy may eventually result in unfavorable response. Depending on symptoms and the disease location, this condition requires an individual treatment plan. The presented case illustrates that a minimally invasive approach may result in a good control of the Gorham-Stout syndrome and may stand as an alternative treatment option for some patients with this condition.

Treatment of gorham-stout disease with bisphosphonates and total hip arthroplasty: A case report

Background

Gorham-Stout disease (GSD) is a rare osteolytic disease with unknown etiology, varied clinical manifestations and unpredictable prognosis. This disease is characterized by progressive massive local osteolysis and resorption caused by intraosseous lymphatic vessel structure and thin-walled vascular proliferation. The diagnosis of GSD has not yet formed a uniform standard, but the combination of clinical manifestations, radiological features and unique histopathological examinations and excluding other diseases contribute to early diagnosis. Although medical therapy, radiotherapy and surgical interventions or combinations have been used for the treatment of GSD, there is currently still no recommended standardized treatment regimen.

Case report

This paper presents a case of a previously healthy 70-year-old man presented with a 10-year history of severe right hip pain and progressive walking disorder of the lower limbs. Based on the patient's clear clinical presentation, unique radiological features, and histological findings, a diagnosis of GSD was made with the exclusion of other potential diseases. The patient was treated with bisphosphonates to slow the progression of the disease followed by total hip arthroplasty to help restore walking function. At the 3-year follow-up, the patient returned to normal walking and no recurrence was observed.

Conclusion

Bisphosphonates combined with total hip arthroplasty may be an effective method for the treatment of severe GSD in the hip joint.

The loneliness of a long-distance runner. A ten-year survey of a patient diagnosed with Gorham-Stout syndrome at the occipitocervical junction

This case study presents a 47-year-old male who was diagnosed with Gorham-Stout syndrome (GSS) 10 years ago in the occipitocervical junction. The pathology caused the resorption of the suboccipital bone, clivus, foramen magnum, and C1-C3 laminae. After his first fusion attempt in 2010 using occipital plate-cervical lateral mass screws, he needed many revision surgeries either for the progression of the pathology or for instrumentation failure and wound healing problems. Eventually, a new occipital plate and cervical pedicle screws were applied to obtain the exact solution. The involvement of the craniovertebral junction in GSS may be challenging for spinal surgeons due to the inadequate bone reserve for stabilization. As lateral mass screws cannot provide a strong pull-out force, cervical pedicular screws may be used as the first choice for unstable cervical GSS cases.

Gorham-Stout Disease of the Shoulder: Clinical, Pathologic and Therapeutic Considerations

BACKGROUND

Gorham-Stout disease (GSD) is a rare skeletal disorder characterized by massive osteolysis of a bony area in the body. When it hits the shoulder, the patient is faced with a debilitating limitation in terms of motion, stability and quality of life. GSD etiology and pathology are unknown and, as a result, therapeutic modalities remain unclear. The aim of this paper is to explore and offer medical insight into the possible etiologies, pathologies and therapeutic modalities of GSD in the shoulder.

METHODS

We explored PubMed/Medline for GSD cases in the shoulder. The search involved all articles published from database inception until February 1, 2019. Only articles published in English were included. Demographics and clinical information extrapolated from the reported cases were analyzed to deduce patterns and infer conclusions.

RESULTS

Only 32 studies met our criteria, with a total of 37 cases (n=37). Males predominated in 21 cases (57%). Twelve cases (32%) were younger than 18 years, and 18 cases (49%) were aged between 18 and 65 years. Shoulder pain was the predominant reporting symptom. The humerus was the most common shoulder site affected (54%), followed by the scapula (35%) and the clavicle (30%). Almost half of the cases affected the right shoulder (51%), the left shoulder was affected in 16 cases (43%). Conservative treatment was opted in 17 cases (46%), while surgery was performed in 13 cases (35%). Good outcomes were reported in 28 cases (76%), while death occurred twice (5%).

CONCLUSION

Understanding the demographics and clinical characteristics of GSD in the shoulder region will help in formulating better therapeutic interventions and preventive health policies.

A rare case of Gorham-stout syndrome involving the thoracic spine with progressive bilateral chylothorax: a case report

Background

Gorham-Stout syndrome (GSS) with spinal involvement is extremely rare, and bilateral chylothorax as a complication is usually fatal. In our case, pleural effusion appeared in the left hemithorax after ligating the right thoracic duct.

Case presentation

A 14-year-old patient presented with GSS affecting the thoracic spine with bilateral chylothorax. The case was successfully managed using combined conservative and surgical treatments. At the 2-year follow-up visit, the amount of pleural fluid was reduced, the patient’s respiratory function had improved, and the deformity on the thoracic spine had gradually stabilized.

Conclusions

GSS is a rare disorder of the musculoskeletal system that responds poorly to therapies and exhibits very high morbidity and mortality. Chylothorax is a common complication when lesions involve the thoracic spine, and physicians should be vigilant for possible serious pulmonary complications.

Spinal Gorham-Stout syndrome: radiological changes and spinal deformities

Background

Gorham-Stout syndrome (GSS) involving the spine is a rare clinical entity, and there is a paucity of comprehensive study on its radiological features. We aimed to present the radiological changes and spinal deformities in patients with spinal GSS.

Methods

From January 2005 to December 2017, 11 consecutive GSS patients with spinal deformity were identified. Their medical records and imaging features were retrospectively reviewed. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were used for a precise evaluation of spinal involvement. Posteroanterior and lateral standing radiographs were used to evaluate the spinal deformity.

Results

CT showed multi-level generalized osteolytic lesions, with ill-defined fluid attenuation adjacent to the osseous changes. MRI demonstrated hyperintense signals on both T1- and T2-weighted images, while the unaffected segments showed normal signal intensity. Seven patients (63.6%) had a dominant feature of kyphosis, and 4 (36.4%) had scoliosis when spinal GSS was diagnosed. Kyphosis variably spanned from C7 to L1, averaged 94° (range, 53° to 158°), and was associated with sagittal imbalance in 4 cases. In our series, the apex of kyphosis and scoliosis coincided within the most seriously osteolytic segment. All patients received medication for GSS. Two adolescents taking Boston braces showed a relatively stable deformity. Four patients received long posterior spinal fusion, but two had fusion failure.

Conclusions

CT and MRI investigations are important in the initial diagnosis and continued management for spinal GSS. A typical spinal deformity secondary to GSS presents as kyphosis or kyphoscoliosis, which is usually highly variable but highly concordant with osteolysis in terms of span and apex.

Thoracic spine dislocation in Gorham-Stout Syndrome: Case report and literature review

Background

The Gorham-Stout syndrome (GSS), also known as phantom bone disease, is a rare bone condition of unknown etiology. Involvement of the spine is described in <50 cases in the literature. Here, we report a case of thoracic spine fracture dislocation in a young female who was known to have GSS.

Case Description

A 23-year-old female developed a left spontaneous hemothorax 10 years previously along with left ribs lytic lessions. Pleural and rib biopsies diagnosed angiomatosis and the clinical diagnosis of GSS was established. Following a minor trauma, she presented with a Frankel B deficit attributed to a T3-T4 fracture dislocation with severe spinal cord compression. The patient underwent halo traction with CT. Following reduction, decompression and C5 to T8 with instrumented fusion (posterior only), she neurologically improved to Frankel D, 2 years postoperatively.

Conclusion

Although GSS is a rare condition in the spine, it may lead to gross instability and catastrophic vertebral fracture/dislocation with paraparesis. Acute spinal cord decompression with stabilization may be warranted to achieve neurological improvement.

Left Functional Pneumonectomy Caused by a Very Rare Giant Intrathoracic Cystic Lesion in a Patient with Gorham-Stout Syndrome: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Gorham-Stout syndrome is an uncommon entity, with few cases reported in bibliography. It consists of osteolytic manifestations affecting various bones and replacing them with lymphangiomatous tissue. With pathophysiology unknown, Gorham-Stout disease affects also cardiorespiratory system usually causing lytic lesions to the bones of the thoracic cage or directly invading the thoracic duct. This is a case report of a unique respiratory manifestation of the disease and a review of its cardiorespiratory complications.

Mandibular Gorham-Stout disease: A case report and literature review

RATIONALE

Gorham-Stout disease (GSD) is characterized by aggressive bone resorption, proliferation of vascular or lymphatic vessels, and soft-tissue swelling. Bones that initially appear normal start to resorb, partially or completely. However, the etiology of GSD is unknown.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 29-year-old man with a chief complaint of toothache and mobility in the lower right mandible for the previous 1 year.

DIAGNOSES

Gorham-Stout disease (GSD).

INTERVENTIONS

The RANK-ligand inhibitor denosumab was suggested to use to inhibit the development of osteoclasts and slow mandibular resorption. In addition, we proposed resection of the remaining mandible and reconstruction via vascularized bone graft, after resorption of the mandible had become stationary.

OUTCOMES

Regular follow-ups were advised to this patient to monitor the stability of bone resorption prior to any surgical intervention.

LESSONS

We strongly recommend that every attempt should be made for early diagnosis and prompt effective medical and surgical management. The failure to do so results in further complications and poor prognosis.

Vanishing bone disease of chest wall and spine with kyphoscoliosis and neurological deficit: A case report and review of literature

Vanishing bone disease is an extremely rare disorder of unknown etiology characterized by idiopathic osteolysis of bone. We describe a case of vanishing bone disease of chest wall and spine with kyphoscoliosis and neurological deficit. A 17-year-old male presented with gradually progressive deformity of back and dorsal compressive myelopathy with nonambulatory power in lower limbs. Radiographs revealed absent 4^th-7^th ribs on the right side with dorsal kyphoscoliosis and severe canal narrowing at the apex. The patient was given localized radiotherapy and started on a monthly infusion of 4 mg zoledronic acid. Posterior instrumented fusion with anterior reconstruction via posterolateral approach was performed. The patient had a complete neurological recovery at 5 weeks following surgery. At 1 year, anterior nonunion was noted for which transthoracic tricortical bone grafting was done. Bone graft from the patient's mother was used both times. At 7 months following anterior grafting, the alignment was maintained and the patient was asymptomatic; however, fusion at graft-host interface was not achieved. Bisphosphonates and radiotherapy were successful in halting the progress of osteolysis.