Skeletal dissemination in Paget's disease of the spine

PURPOSE: Paget's disease of bone (PDB) is a common skeletal disorder that is associated with locally increased bone turnover, skeletal deformity and pain. We report a case of skeletal dissemination in PDB of the spine.

METHODS: Case report.

RESULTS: A 46-year-old former professional athlete suffered from disseminated PDB throughout the spine and hips after various surgical interventions including spondylodesis, bone grafting and bone morphogenetic protein (rhBMP-2) administration. Only intravenous zoledronic acid prevented the further progression of skeletal dissemination, which was expressed by a normalization of (bone-specific) alkaline phosphatase levels. The biopsy obtained from the lumbar spine confirmed the diagnosis of PDB in the absence of malignant transformation.

CONCLUSIONS: We outline skeletal dissemination as a possibly surgery-related complication in a patient with PDB in the lumbar spine. Bisphosphonates remain the treatment of first choice in PDB and surgical interventions should be considered very carefully.