Polyostotic fibrous dysplasia: a medical breakthrough

Marlie Casseus is a young Haitian girl who has been diagnosed with polyostotic fibrous dysplasia.  This particular disease is a sporadic disorder which affects bones on multiple sites of the skeleton, the bone on these sites are rapidly resorbed and replaced by abnormal fibrous tissue or mechanically abnormal bone. The bony lesions are frequently disfiguring and painful, and depending on the location of the lesion, can lead to disabling fractures, while lesions in the skull can lead to compression of vital structures such as cranial nerves. In present day, there is no cure for the disease, however in Marlie Casseus’s case the removal of the 7kg growth from her face is a true medical breakthrough. The removal was crucial, Marlie had gotten to the point where she couldn’t eat well, talk well, see well, and the list goes on. It took 17 procedures but eventually the team of doctors lead by Dr. Jesus Gomez were able to remove the growth from both sides of the face and replace facial parts. It is considered one of the most successful operations to date. 

I chose this article because cases like those of Marlie Casseus are not only inspirational for people that may have a kind of life threatening or facial diseases, but it as well gives a sense of optimism for the world of medicine. The work that the team of doctors put into for this young girl is incredible, they managed to not only save her life but help her live it as well. 

The link to this article is:

http://latestmedicalbreakthroughs.com/information/marlie-casseus-a-medical-breakthrough/