The role of alendronic acid in inhibiting the growth of craniofacial fibrous dysplasia lesions after surgery

Fibrous dysplasia is a rare benign hamartomatous bone disease characterized by replacement of bone with fibrous tissue. Due to the lack of a generally accepted universal approach to the FD treatment, surgical treatment remains the most preferable, however, in cases of subtotal involvement or spread to the skull base, this approach is either not feasible or not applicable, and attempts at marginal resection are associated with the risk of continued growth. Currently, extensive experience has been accumulated in conservative treatment of patients with fibrous dysplasia with bisphosphonate drugs, but the role of this therapeutics in non-radically operated patients has not been evaluated. Since 2014, specialists of the Maxillofacial Surgery Department of the Russian Children’s Clinical Hospital have treated 16 children with lesions of the frontal bone involving the skull base and subtotal lesions of the upper jaw after non-radical surgery. In all cases, extensive resections would carry the risk of developing serious complications or deformities requiring prolonged rehabilitation. In all cases, we used a similar scheme that is applied for isolated conservative therapy with alendronic acid. In this approach, no serious adverse reactions, including the development of osteonecrosis, were observed, and the achieved surgical result was maintained without an increase in residual volume.

Keywords: Fibrous dysplasia, alendronic acid, skull, children

Conflicts of interest. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Funding. There was no funding for this study