Polyostotic fibrous dysplasia involving the thoracic spine with myelopathy: case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Background context: Polyostotic fibrous dysplasia (PFD) seldom involves the thoracic spine and usually presents with back pain.

Purpose: To describe an extremely rare presentation of an uncommon disease.

Study design/setting: We present a case report from a university hospital.

Methods: We report a case of symptomatic thoracic PFD associated with myelopathy and pathologic fracture. A thorough search of PubMed/MEDLINE was performed for the terms "polyostotic fibrous dysplasia," "spine," and "neurological deficit."

Results: The patient was treated by posterior laminectomy, vertebroplasty, and pedicle screw fixation and fusion. Satisfactory results were achieved, and there were no complications.

Conclusions: In the spine, PFD may lead to pathologic fracture and myelopathy even after adolescence. Vertebroplasty with or without decompression and fixation may be the appropriate option for cases with myelopathy.

Keywords: Biphosphate; Myelopathy; Polyostotic fibrous dysplasia; Spine; Vertebroplasty.