Radiographic characteristics of fibrous dysplasia of the clivus: a case report and review of the literature

Whereas fibrous dysplasia is a well-known, developmental skeletal disorder with a benign clinical course, fibrous dysplasia of the clivus is extremely rare and has seldom been reported. Differentiating this benign entity from more aggressive diseases involving the clivus is important for the proper management of lesions in this area. We here report a case of fibrous dysplasia of the clivus and discuss its radiographic features. The patient was 55-year-old male who had suffered from headache for months. Physical and neurological examinations found no abnormalities. The computed tomographic (CT) scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed an abnormal mass lesion in the lower of the third clivus. On CT scan, the mass lesion exhibited a ground-glass appearance. The lesion was detected as hypointense and a mixture of hyperintense and isointense areas on T1-weighted and T2-weighted MRI, respectively. Heterogenous enhancement was noted after infusion of GD-DTPA. The patient underwent a transsphenoidal resection of the mass and the histopathologic diagnosis was fibrous dysplasia.