Local gigantism
Local gigantism or localised gigantism is a condition in which a certain part of the body acquires larger than normal size due to excessive growth of the anatomical structures or abnormal accumulation of substances. It is more common in fingers and toes, where it is termed macrodactyly. However, sometimes an entire limb may be enlarged.
Causes
Local gigantism may be caused by a heterogeneous group of both congenital and acquired conditions.
Congenital
Congenital causes include:
- Klippel Trenaunay Weber syndrome
- macrodystrophia lipomatosa [1]
- neurofibromatosis,[2] [3]
- lipoatrophic diabetes.[4]
- Proteus syndrome, which affected the Elephant Man
Acquired
There are a number of acquired causes of local gigantism. A body part can attain bigger size from causes as common as the following:
- inflammation, due to trauma or infection
- tumors like osteoid osteoma, melorheostosis, and lipofibromatous hamartoma[5]
- Arteriovenous malformations occuring on a limb, before the closure of epiphyses in long bones[6]
- Elephantiasis, which is quite common in south-east asia due to prevalence of filariasis.
- Still's disease
Treatment
As the causes of local gigantism are varied, treatment depends on the particular condition. Treatment may range from antibiotics and other medical therapy, to surgery in order to correct the anatomical anomaly.
See also
Notes
- ^ Letter to the Indian Journal of Radiology and Imaging
- ^ Neurofibromatosis with local gigantism
- ^ Case report
- ^ Some case reports
- ^ Razzaghi A, Anastakis DJ. Lipofibromatous hamartoma: review of early diagnosis and treatment. Can J Surg. 2005 Oct;48(5):394-9.[1]
- ^ Case report
External links
 | This medical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |