Aneurysmal bone cyst of the zygomatic arch causing limited mouth opening

Abstract

The Aneurysmal Bone Cyst (ABC) is an expansive osteolytic, radiolucent, multilocular, eccentric lesion of unknown origin consisting of spaces filled with blood in any segment of the skeleton, being most frequently encountered in the diaphysis of the long bones or the spinal cord. It may occur as distinct clinico-pathological entity or as pathophysiological alteration of a preexisting lesion, like giant-cells lesion, fibrous dysplasia, ossifying fibroma, osteoblastoma, epiphysary chondroblastoma and even malignant lesions such as osteossarcoma. This paper reports a rare case of ABC in the zygomatic arch of a young female patient who presented facial asymmetry and progressive limitation in mouth opening, treated by resective surgical procedure and discusses the clinical, radiological and histological features of this pathology along with its treatment.