Vanishing Bone Syndrome
Vanishing Bone Syndrome is a medical term used to describe an extremely rare disease where bone loss occurs in one or more bones. It is so rare that only 200 cases have been reported since its discovery. Vanishing Bone Syndrome is also called Phantom Bone, Massive Osteolysis, Hemangiomatosis, Lymphangiomatosis, Disappearing Bone Disease, Vanishing Bone Disease, Acute Spontaneous Absorption of Bone, or Gorham's Syndrome.
Vanishing Bone Syndrome may affect any bone in the body, although the jaw and skull seem to be the first bones that are noticed.
What Is The History Of Vanishing Bone Syndrome?
Vanishing Bone Syndrome was first diagnosed in 1838, but it was not considered to be a specific pathologic disorder until 1954 and was given the name Gorham-Stout Syndrome. That term was later shortened to Gorham's Syndrome and since then, the disease has gone by more than twenty different names which can make researching this disease difficult if you are not aware of all the synonyms.
What Causes Vanishing Bone Syndrome?
Since there are so few cases of this rare disease, researchers have only been able to theorize that Vanishing Bone Syndrome may be genetic.
What Are The Symptoms of Vanishing Bone Syndrome?
The symptoms of Vanishing Bone Syndrome are massive bone destruction, muscle atrophy, Hematic pleural effusion, Chylous pleural effusion, and Hemangioma. Other symptoms may include bone angioma, bone fibrosis, Osteoporosis, progressive bone resorption, swelling, pain, and fractures.
How Is Vanishing Bone Syndrome Diagnosed?
There are several criteria that need to be present to accurately diagnose Vanishing Boine Syndrome. Some of those criteria are:
1. Angiomatous tissue in a postive biopsy
2. Absence of cellular atypia
3. Low or no response of stochastic and dystrophic calcification
4. Progressive bone resorption
5. Non-expansile and non-ulcerative lesions
6. Osteolytic radiographic pattern
In most cases, Vanishing Bone Syndrome goes undiagnosed until an individual has a fracture and it is found that the fracture does not heal properly.
What Is The Treatment For Vanishing Bone Syndrome?
There is no treatment for Vanishing Bone Syndrome, although radiotherapy and medication may be an option for relieving bone pain.
How Can I Prevent Vanishing Bone Syndrome?
Since so little is known about Vanishing Bone Syndrome, it is unclear how to prevent it, although some experts think it may be inherited.
Although one may think that Vanishing Bone Syndrome would affect only the elderly, there are cases of teenagers and children as young as one year of age have been diagnosed with this disease.
Sources:
Wrong Diagnosis: Vanishing Bone Syndrome, http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/medical/vanishing_bone_disease.htm
Othro Supersite: Vanishing Bone Disease, http://www.orthosupersite.com/view.asp?rID=26425
Lymphangiomatosis & Gorham's Disease Alliance: About Gorham's Disease,http://www.lgdalliance.org/en/aboutGorhamsDisease/Default.aspx
Published by Taylor Rios-Denoir
Prior to her writing career, Taylor worked as a mental health counselor and then as a paralegal. She has 4 children ranging in age from 6 months to 17 years, is widowed and has relocated from San Antonio to... View profile
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