Ossifying fibroma of the skull: interactive image-guided minimally invasive localization and resection

Ossifying fibroma is a benign fibro-osseous tumor commonly affecting the craniofacial bones. It is considered to be a locally aggressive and quickly expansible bone lesion. Because of its aggressive nature and high recurrence rate, early detection and complete surgical removal are essential. Usually, these lesions are excised extensively by craniectomy, and bone loss is reconstructed by cranioplasty using acrylic resin or titanium implants. Alternatively, in the management of skull-ossifying fibroma, an image-guided technique using surgical navigation may provide precise information about localization, enabling complete removal, thereby operating with minimal exposure and within narrow resection borders and avoiding significant bone deformity. A 39-year-old male patient with a history of renal cell carcinoma was admitted to our hospital because a radionuclide scintigraphic bone scan revealed increased uptake in a small area located at the left lateral skull bone. The high-resolution computed tomography scan showed that the lesion was located inside the diploe, destroying the inner table of the calvarium. The patient underwent minimally invasive bone lesion removal using an interactive image-guided approach. Complete resection of the neoplastic lesion was achieved. The histopathological examination revealed an ossifying fibroma. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged 3 days after intervention. To date, there has been no evidence of local recurrence. Interactive multimodal planning and intraoperative image guidance offer an interesting approach for biopsy and minimally invasive removal of small ossifying fibroma lesions of the skull, especially in less accessible locations.