Jr. Macgowan et al., Gross vertebral collapse associated with long-term disodium etidronate treatment for pelvic Paget's disease, SKELETAL RA, 29(5), 2000, pp. 279-282
Inhibition of skeletal mineralisation is a well-recognized complication of
disodium etidronate therapy that was identified in the earliest studies of
its use in osteoporosis and Paget's disease. The effect is seen at lower do
ses in Paget's disease than in osteoporosis. Several cases of spontaneous f
ractures occurring in unaffected bones of Paget's patients have been report
ed. However, we believe the case described here is the most severe example
of etidronate-induced osteomalacia published in the literature, featuring w
idespread vertebral collapse occurring as a consequence of nearly 10 years
of uninterrupted etidronate treatment for isolated hemipelvic Paget's disea
se.