[Idiopathic massive osteolysis of the femur. Syndrome called Gorham-Stout syndrome].

A case of massive osteolysis (disappearing bone disease, phantom bone, Gorham's massive osteolysis) was observed in a young african man with two lesions of the femur. This is a very rare syndrome characterized by an acute spontaneous resorption of bone, without any sign of malignant or infectious disorder. The lesion may develop in any part of the skeleton, with extensive bone loss, but is benign. Bone is replaced by haemangiomatous tissue. The diagnosis lead on the association of clinical, radiological and histological signs. The pathogenesis is still unknown and the treatment remains controversial. Osteolysis stops after a few years, but this is unpredictable; in our case, we have proposed prosthetic replacement, associated with bone grafting and irradiation.