Diagnostic Dilemma of Vanishing Bone Disease - A Case Report and Review of Literature.

Rationale: Vanishing bone disease (VBD) is a rare bone disorder in which progressive osteolysis may lead to complete disappearance of involved bones. The diagnosis of this disease requires a high degree of clinical suspicion. We present a case of progressive osteolysis of mandible in a patient.

Patient Concerns: The patient had been without definitive diagnosis and treatment for over a year.

Diagnosis: Diagnosis was made by exclusion of genetic, traumatic, inflammatory, infective, endocrine and neoplastic aetiologies and by carefully correlating clinical, imaging and histopathological findings of the patient.

Treatment: Segmental resection of the advancing edge of the lesion was carried out.

Outcome: The patient is disease free, with no evidence of further osteolysis, after six months of follow-up.

Take-away Lessons: This article describes the exclusion-based approach adopted to diagnose a case of VBD, aiming to standardise a workup for the diagnosis.