Intramedullary rodding and bisphosphonate treatment of polyostotic fibrous dysplasia associated with the McCune-Albright syndrome

The authors report the results of the management of five consecutive children with McCune-Albright syndrome. These children were treated with a combination of drug treatment (bisphosphonates) and surgical treatment with elongating intramedullary rods (Sheffield) for management of femoral and tibial lesions. This treatment was successful in all patients, as judged by improvement in their quality of life and in clinical parameters, such as decreased bone pain and fracture rate, and improved walking ability. Two of the five children had been wheelchair-bound before treatment. All children are now community ambulators. In 5 of 10 hips, there was a significant decrease in the neck-shaft angle over time compared with the immediate postoperative angle.