Oral alendronate treatment for polyostotic fibrous dysplasia: a case report

Recently, intravenous therapy with pamidronate has been reported to be effective for treating fibrous dysplasia. However, very little is known about the efficacy of oral alendronate for fibrous dysplasia. We describe a patient with polyostotic fibrous dysplasia, who had complained of persistent pain for more than 20 years, that was treated with oral alendronate alone. Follow-up examinations were at intervals of 3 months for 2 years. The pain, radiographic findings, and bone turnover, which was monitored using various markers, improved. No adverse side effect was noted. Oral alendronate is suggested to be a useful option in the treatment of polyostotic fibrous dysplasia.