[Primary osteosarcoma of the skull--a case report (author's transl)]

A case of primary osteosarcoma of the skull is reported in this paper. The patient was a 41-year-old male, who complained of painless swelling of the left upper eyelid and became unable to open his left eye. He was admitted to our hospital on March 27, 1972. A bony hard tumor, fingertip in size, was palpable subcutaneously at the left superior orbital margin. The tumor was inmovable and not tender. Ophthalmological examinations of the left eye revealed disturbance of upward ocular movement without exophthalmos. The ocular fundus showed slight dilatation of the retinal veins and the normal disc. The visual acuity and the visual field appeared intact. X-ray films of the skull showed irregular osteolytic changes in the left orbital roof and the superior orbital margin. Left carotid angiogram showed abnormal vessels forming pools and arterio-venuous fistulae in the osteolytic lesion. An April 5, 1972, surgical removal of the tumor was performed successfully and the dura attached to the tumor was also excised. After operation, chemotherapy and radiation therapy were applied. Histological examination showed osteosarcoma invading the dura. At present, two years and seven months after surgical treatment, the patient is doing well without evidences of recurrence of this disease.