Eosiophilic granuloma in the head and neck

Eosinophilic granuloma is an unusual lesion which is thought to be a reticulo-endothelial hyperplasia of the bone and which is most frequently encountered in children. First described by Lichtenstein and Jaff, this disease entity was placed into the category of histocytosis X along with Hand-Schuller-Christian and Letter-Siwe disease. More recently eosinophilic granuloma has been classified by some authors as a separate disorder of histocytic proliferation which is localized in bones as solitary and occasional multifocal granulomas. The course of this disease is usually benign with spontaneous recovery reported. However, fatal cases of this disorder are found in the literature. This paper was prompted by the presentation of a 3 1/2 year old child with symptoms similar to that of acute dacrocystitis or ethmoiditis.