Maxillary Brown Tumor of Secondary Hyperparathyroidism in a Hemodialysis Patient

HYPERPARATHYROIDISM of any etiology may result in a focal lesion of bone called a "brown tumor."1This mass occurs most often in the ribs, clavicle, and pelvic girdle. We describe an adolescent hemodialysis patient with severe secondary hyperparathyroidism in whom a mass lesion of the maxilla developed, which histologically was a brown tumor. This unusual manifestation of secondary hyperparathyroidism can be expected to occur more often with increased longevity of patients with chronic renal failure and illustrates the need to include brown tumor in the differential diagnosis of any bony mass. Although parathyroidectomy is said to be curative,2our patient demonstrated an unexplained rapid tumor growth after parathyroid surgery. Report of a Case An 18-year-old woman with chronic renal failure caused by chronic glomerulonephritis showed the development of a maxillary mass (Fig 1) after two years of maintenance hemodialysis. Histological examination showed a brown tumor of hyperparathyroidism (Fig