The chest radiograph of a 56-year-old man with pain over the entire region of back, chest and vertebral column revealed chunky swelling over the 7th right rib. Other radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging further showed an infiltrative process in the 12th thoracic and the 2nd as well as 4th lumbar vertebrae. Skeletal scintigraphy was highly suggestive of bone metastases. Results of laboratory tests were within normal limits. Partial rib resection was performed after failure to find the site of a primary tumour. The diagnosis of polyostotic fibrous dysplasia was made histologically. There was no evidence of malignancy and a rare additional endocrinopathy (McCune-Albright syndrome) was excluded.