Vanishing Bone Disease of the Pelvis

Gorhamʼs disease is a very rare condition characterized by spontaneous resorption of bone with associated nonmalignant angiomatous proliferation. Usually the destruction of the bone is progressive in nature, lacks evidence of regeneration, and leads ultimately to replacement of bone by fibrous tissue and involvement of the surrounding soft tissues. There is no known genetic mode of transmission and there is no predilection by age or sex. This syndrome may occur in any bone but favors the long bones, shoulders, and pelvis. The authors present a case of this rare disease. The patient is a 24-year-old man presenting with pelvic pain. The diagnosis was made by biopsy, which revealed the characteristic angiomatosis. Changes on Tc-99m diphosphonate bone imaging in this disease are shown.