Intralesional corticosteroid injection for treatment of central giant-cell granuloma

The central giant cell granuloma, or CGCG, is a benign intraosseous lesion of the jaw. It is found predominantly in children and young adults. It is an asymptomatic lesion, which often becomes evident on routine radiographic examination. Giant cell lesions have been described as both nonaggressive and aggressive in nature, with recurrence noted in cases of aggressive lesions. Central giant cell lesions present as unilocular or multilocular radiolucent defects on radiographs. Multinucleated giant cells within a collagenous stroma are the characteristic histopathologic feature of CGCG.

The authors describe a 10-year-old girl with an expansile lesion of the mandible. The panoramic radiograph showed a well-circumscribed mixed radiolucent-radiopaque lesion of the left mandibular body. An incisional biopsy of the lesion was performed to establish a histologic diagnosis. The specimen was submitted for frozen-section examination, and a diagnosis of CGCG was made. Serum calcium, parathyroid hormone and phosphorous levels were normal. The patient was treated successfully with intralesional corticosteroid injections.

Central giant cell lesions have been treated surgically with aggressive curettage. More aggressive and recurrent lesions require resection, which leads to major defects of the jaws. This form of surgical treatment can be particularly disfiguring for a child or young adult. An alternative nonsurgical approach is the intralesional administration of corticosteroids, which have been effective in the treatment of CGCG. If a dentist suspects a patient may have CGCG, he or she should refer the patient to an oral surgeon for follow-up.