[Bone changes in tuberous sclerosis (Bourneville-Pringle disease)]

The tuberous sclerosis is a rare hereditary disease which mostly becomes manifest in a triad of symptoms: epilepsy, mental defects and skin changes of the adenoma sebaceum Pringle type. There may be an atypical clinical picture without neurological or psychiatric signs, in 50% of cases also without skin changes. Bone changes in tuberous sclerosis are asymptomatic and present in up to 50% of patients. Their finding in patients without basic known symptoms may be the cause of mistaking it for osteoplastic metastases. A case like that was described in the case history part of the communication. The knowledge of the possibilities of these changes in tuberous sclerosis may considerably ease differential diagnosis by suitable indication of computer tomography of the brain with the finding of typical calcifications.