A Case Report of Craniofacial Intraosseous Xanthoma in a Patient Seeking Facial Feminization Surgery

Abstract

Background Fibrous dysplasia (FD) is a benign developmental disorder of the bone that causes normal skeletal tissue to be replaced by excess fibrous tissue and poorly differentiated osteoblasts. Intraosseous xanthomas are benign intraosseous tumor growths characterized microscopically by the presence of lipid-laden foamy histiocytes, often with cortical expansion or disruption. Although FD commonly occurs in craniofacial bones, primary intraosseous xanthomas of the skull or facial skeleton are extremely rare. Although 2 distinct conditions, each may be difficult to differentiate on CT imaging when occurring in the facial skeleton. Methods We report a case of an incidental finding on craniofacial CT of a frontal bone lesion originally thought to be FD. The finding was in a 55-year-old transgender woman who was assigned male at birth before receiving multiprocedural facial feminization surgery. Results The clinical features, radiological findings, and treatment are discussed. Postoperatively, the patient had no sequelae secondary to facial feminization surgery or to the orbital lesion biopsy procedure. Bone graft appeared stable on CT imaging, although FD did not appear to resolve completely. Conclusions Diagnosis of such lesions is challenging and may require both radiographic and histopathologic assessment. As in the case of this patient, intraosseous xanthomas may also be misdiagnosed as other benign lesions such as FD. In most known cases, surgical intervention leads to complete resolution without recurrence of the lesion.