DISTAL PHALANGEAL RESORPTION IN AN ADULT WITH INFANTILE MALIGNANT OSTEOPETROSIS - A CASE-REPORT

Osteopetrosis is a rare inherited skeletal disorder characterized by a defect in bone resorption. The autosomal-recessive infantile malignan t form usually results in death in the first few years of life. The na tural history of the disease into adulthood is unknown. Reported here is the case of a 27-year-old man with bilateral resorption of the tuft s of the distal phalanges in multiple fingers. It is unclear whether t his finding constitutes a previously undescribed aspect of the natural course of the disease or a long-term consequence of therapy. Copyrigh t (C) 1998 by the American Society for Surgery of the Hand.