Gorham-Stout Disease: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Gorham-Stout disease causes gradual bone loss (osteolysis) due to an abnormal overgrowth of lymphatic vessels. This rare disease is usually seen in younger people. The etiopathology of Gorham-Stout disease remains unclear. The disease is pathologically characterized by the proliferation of the vascular or lymphatic vessels and, finally, bone matrix destruction. These pathological changes lead to the presence of massive osteolysis on plain radiographs. Thus, plain radiograph findings may lead physicians to consider tumoral conditions, especially metastasis. There are several other conditions on the differential diagnosis list of massive osteolysis, such as metabolic, infectious, malignant, and immunological conditions. The treatment of the disease is symptom-based, but there is no consensus. Pharmacological methods should be considered first-line treatment. In this report, a case of Gorham-Stout disease, which is treated by pharmacological methods is presented. During the one and half year follow-up, the local control of the disease is achieved without any surgical intervention. Read the full article here.