Though several reports of similar cases were published in the interim, more than 80 years passed before another significant report of the condition appeared in the medical literature.Both born in 1885, Lemuel Whittington Gorham, MD, and Arthur Purdy Stout, MD, had long, distinguished careers in medicine and shared a lifelong interest in pathology. Dr. Gorham practiced and taught medicine and oncology and from the mid-1950s through the early 1960s conducted and reported the classical clinicopathological investigations of pulmonary embolism. During this time, he also authored several case series on osteolysis of bone. Dr. Stout began his career as a surgeon and became a pioneer in tumor pathology, publishing Human Cancer in 1932. This work became the model for the Atlas of Tumor Pathology project, which Stout oversaw as chairman of the National Research Council in the 1950s. In his later years, Dr. Stout embarked on a systematic study of soft tissue tumors in children and was among the first to link cigarette smoking to lung cancer.In 1954, Gorham and three others published a two case series, with a brief review of 16 similar cases from the medical literature, that advanced the hypothesis that angiomatosis was responsible for this unusual form of massive osteolysis. That same year, Gorham and Stout presented to the American Association of Physicians their paper (in abstract form), "Massive Osteolysis (Acute Spontaneous Absorption of Bone, Phantom Bone, Disappearing Bone): Its Relation to Hemangiomatosis".
Surgical biopsy with histological identification of the vascular or lymphatic proliferation within a generous section of the affected bone is an essential component in the diagnostic process.Recognition of the disease requires a high index of suspicion and an extensive workup. Because of its serious morbidity, Gorhams must always be considered in the differential diagnosis of osteolytic lesions. Management
Treatment of Gorhams disease is for the most part palliative and limited to symptom management.Sometimes, the bone destruction spontaneously ceases and no treatment is required, but when the disease is progressive, aggressive intervention may be necessary. Duffy and colleagues reported that around 17% of people with Gorhams disease in the ribs, shoulder, or upper spine experience extension of the disease into the chest, leading to chylothorax with its serious consequences, and that the mortality rate in this group can reach as high as 64% without surgical intervention. A search of the medical literature reveals multiple case reports of interventions with varying rates of success as follows:Cardiothoracic (heart and lung):

Skeletal:

To date, no known interventions are consistently effective for Gorhams, and all reported interventions are considered experimental treatments, though many are routine for other conditions. Some people may require a combination of these approaches. Unfortunately, some people will not respond to any intervention. Epidemiology
Gorhams disease is extremely rare and may occur at any age, though it is most often recognized in children and young adults. It strikes males and females of all races and exhibits no inheritance pattern. The medical literature contains case reports from every continent.