[Paget's disease of bone: diagnosis and treatment]

Paget's disease of bone is a focal disorder of bone remodelling that leads to changes in the shape and size of affected bones, and is associated with articular and vascular complications. The disorder is characterised by a localised increase in osteoclast number and activity in one or more affected sites while the rest of the skeleton remains unaffected. The excessive bone resorption leads to recruitment of osteoblasts to the remodelling sites, resulting in increased bone formation. This accelerated bone turnover causes deposition of bone with disorganised architecture and structural weakness. The precise aetiology is unknown. It is thought that the disease is caused by interactions between environmental and genetic factors; the nature of this interaction still has to be determined. The disease is progressive, but can be treated with a single infusion of zoledronic acid. In this manuscript three cases are described, along with a review of the current diagnostic tools and treatment.