[Massive Gorham-Stout osteolysis of the temporal bone and the craniocervical transition]

Massive osteolysis Gorham-Stout is a rare, benign but locally aggressive angiomatosis which results in destruction and resorption of bone. The etiology and pathogenesis are undefined. The occurrence of the disease in the skull base is uncommon. A 54-year-old female presented with isolated, one-sided surditas. Eight years before the patient underwent surgery and radiation therapy for treatment of hypopharyngeal cancer. A transtemporal biopsy was taken and a highly vascularized, cystic lesion with destruction of the right occipital and temporal bone and the atlas was found. Histopathology showed thin-walled capillaries with flattened endothelial lining cells. After exclusion of malignant and infectious components the diagnosis of Gorham's disease was established. Review of the literature suggests radiation therapy as the method of choice for stopping the disease's progress. The aim of this case report is to emphasize the Gorham-Stout-Syndrome as a rare differential diagnosis for skull base lesions.