Fatal Progression of Gorham-Stout Disease with Skull Base Osteomyelitis and Lateral Medullary Syndrome.

Gorham-Stout disease (GSD) is a rare condition in which spontaneous, progressive resorption of bone occurs. There are no previous reports of patients with fatal progression of GSD with skull base osteomyelitis (SBO) and lateral medullary syndrome (LMS). We present the case of a 27-year-old man diagnosed with GSD with involvement of the maxillofacial bones and skull base. The patient developed SBO; LMS resulted from progressive osteolysis, and the patient died of associated brainstem stroke. Careful follow-up with special emphasis on the early detection of intracranial complications is critical in patients presenting with progressive GSD with involvement of the skull base.

Clinical Features and Prognosis of Generalized Lymphatic Anomaly, Kaposiform Lymphangiomatosis, and Gorham-Stout Disease.

BACKGROUND: Complex lymphatic anomalies are intractable lymphatic disorders, including generalized lymphatic anomaly (GLA), Gorham-Stout disease (GSD), and kaposiform lymphangiomatosis (KLA). The etiology of these diseases remains unknown and diagnosis is confused by their similar clinical findings. This study aimed to clarify the differences in clinical features and prognosis among GLA, KLA, and GSD, in Japanese patients. PROCEDURE: Clinical features, radiological and pathological findings, treatment, and prognosis of patients were obtained from a questionnaire sent to 39 Japanese hospitals. We divided the patients into three groups according to radiological findings of bone lesions and pathology. Differences in clinical findings and prognosis were analyzed. RESULTS: Eighty-five patients were registered: 35 GLA, 9 KLA, and 41 GSD. Disease onset was more common in the first two decades of life (69 cases). In GSD, osteolytic lesions were progressive and consecutive. In GLA and KLA, 18 patients had osteolytic lesions that were multifocal and nonprogressive osteolysis. Thoracic symptoms, splenic involvement, and ascites were more frequent in GLA and KLA than in GSD. Hemorrhagic pericardial and pleural effusions were more frequent in KLA than GLA. GSD had a significantly favorable outcome compared with combined GLA and KLA (P = 0.0005). KLA had a significantly poorer outcome than GLA (P = 0.0268). CONCLUSIONS: This survey revealed the clinical features and prognosis of patients with GLA, KLA, and GSD. Early diagnosis and treatment of KLA are crucial because KLA has high mortality. Further prospective studies to risk-stratify complex lymphatic anomalies and optimize management for KLA are urgently needed.

Mortalidad en pacientes con osteólisis de origen linfático. Revisión de 54 casos / Mortality in patients with osteolysis of lymphatic origin: a review of the experience with 54 patients and the literature

Introducción: La osteólisis de origen linfático es una enfermedad poco frecuente cuya alta mortalidad es difícil atribuir al propio cuadro o a la iatrogenia que genera su tratamiento. El objetivo del trabajo es revisar las causas de la mortalidad en nuestros pacientes y en la literatura médica en la osteólisis de origen linfático. Pacientes y métodos: Hemos revisado a todos los pacientes con osteólisis de origen linfático tratados en nuestro departamento y que han fallecido en los últimos 15 años, así como todos los casos publicados de defunción con esta enfermedad desde los años cincuenta. Resultados: De los 57 pacientes con osteólisis de origen linfático tratados en nuestro hospital, 3 han fallecido, 2 por infección y uno por distrés respiratorio agudo. Todos presentaban desnutrición y 2 de ellos quilotórax bilateral. Entre las 51 muertes revisadas de la literatura entre los años 1954 y 2010, 19 tenían quilotórax bilateral, 15 derecho, y sólo 2 tenían afectación exclusivamente izquierda. Once tuvieron complicaciones respiratorias en forma de neumonía y distrés, 10 presentaron fracturas patológicas y otros 10 quilopericardio y/o ascitis quilosa. La causa más común de defunción fue el fallo respiratorio en 25 pacientes, seguida de la neumonía y la sepsis. Las publicaciones no especifican la causa última de la insuficiencia respiratoria. Conclusiones: El paciente con osteólisis de origen linfático grave suele presentarse con 3 cuadros que se solapan: la malformación linfática de partes blandas, la reabsorción ósea y el quilotórax. Mientras que la mortalidad de los 2 primeros es excepcional, la del quilotórax es frecuente, sobre todo cuando es bilateral y no responde al tratamiento. El fallo respiratorio y la infección están agravados por la inmunosupresión, la desnutrición y el emplazamiento prolongado de catéteres centrales. A diferencia del fallo respiratorio, difícil de controlar tras el fracaso del tratamiento médico-quirúrgico, la morbimortalidad causada por las infecciones puede disminuirse mediante un adecuado soporte nutricional, una correcta profilaxis antibiótica y la reducción al mínimo indispensable de los accesos venosos y de la nutrición parenteral total (AU)

Introduction: Osteolysis of lymphatic origin is a rare disease with a high mortality which is difficult to attribute whether it is due to the disease itself or the therapeutic morbidity. The aim of this study is to review the causes of mortality in our group of patients with osteolysis of lymphatic origin, compared with the group of patients previously reported in the medical literature. Patients and methods: We reviewed all patients with osteolysis of lymphatic origin and treated in our department who had died in the last 15 years, and we reviewed all published cases of death with this disease since the 1950's.ResultsA total of 57 patients with osteolysis of lymphatic origin had been studied at our institution, of whom three died, two from sepsis, and one from acute respiratory distress syndrome. All of them suffered severe malnutrition from massive lymphatic loss and 2 had bilateral chylothorax. Among the 51 cases reviewed in the literature between 1954 - 2010, 19 had bilateral chylothorax, 15 had right side involvement and only 2 had an exclusive left chylothorax. Eleven patients had complications, such as respiratory distress and pneumonia. Ten of them suffered from pathological fractures, and 10 from chylopericardium and/or chylous ascites. The most common cause of death was respiratory failure in 25 patients, followed by pneumonia and sepsis. The publications do not specify the ultimate cause of respiratory failure. Conclusions: Patients with severe osteolysis of lymphatic origin suffer three main disorders with overlapping comorbidity: the lymphatic malformation of soft tissue, the bone resorption and the chylothorax. While mortality in the first two is exceptional, the mortality of the chylothorax is common, especially when it is bilateral and does not respond to different therapies. Respiratory failure and infection are aggravated by immunosuppression, malnutrition and the non-restrictive use of central catheters. Unlike respiratory failure, which is difficult to control after the failure of medical and surgical treatment, morbidity from infections can be reduced through careful nutritional support, rational antibiotic prophylaxis and a reduction to a minimum in the use of central catheters and total parenteral nutrition (AU)