Aneurysmal bone cyst in the mandible: Report of 2 cases and review of literature

Aneurysmal bone cysts, benign lesions of bone tissue, are composed of sinusoidal and vascular spaces filled with blood and surrounded by fibrous tissue septa. They are uncommon, occurring usually in the long bones and spine, and only very rarely in the jaw, where approximately 160 cases have been reported, of which two thirds were located in the mandible and one third in the maxilla. We report two rare cases of aneurysmal bone cyst occurring in the mandible. A literature survey revealed 34 cases of this disease in the jawbone in Japan. An analysis of aneurysmal bone cysts of the jaw was performed in 36 cases, including the present ones. The mandible was affected in 28 cases (78%) and the maxilla in 8 (22%). Aneurysmal bone cyst was observed to occur most frequently between the mandibular body and the ramus. Patient age ranged from 6 to 87 years, with a mean age of 27.7 years. Patients under 30 years of age occupied 60% of the total. Treatment options suggested in the literature include percutaneous sclerotherapy, therapeutic embolization, curettage, block resection and reconstruction, radiotherapy, and systemic calcitonin therapy. The extent of surgery will depend on the size and position of the lesion, ranging from simple curettage to extended resection.