The Use of Ultrasonic Aspirator in the Surgery of the Fibrous Dysplasia Involving the Skull Base

Fibrous dysplasia is a non malignant disease characterized by the replacement of normal bone and marrow with fibrous tissue and woven bone. It can be isolated to a single bone or have multiple skeletal sites (poliostotic). The poliostotic fibrous dysplasia can develop lesions that involve the orbit, the optic nerve, ethmoid and sphenoid bone. During the development of the lesion at the level of the sphenoid sinus the compression and the proximity to the optic nerve may cause blindness. In these cases it is recommended to perform optical nerve decompression in order to prevent it. The fibrous dysplasia tissue was removed using the ultrasonic aspirator. This paper presents the advantages of using this device in an area containing vital anatomical elements.